Crusch Karnstein concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other as she walked down the luxurious carpet in the royal palace.

Nothing had gone right for Crusch Karnstein for weeks now. Her patience had been worn down to her very last nerve. However, this was the royal palace and every word she said and every gesture she made were doubtlessly being meticulously observed. Thus, Crusch bent every ounce of her considerable will to smoothing out her expression and walking with measured steps. She had left the army camp late the previous evening and ridden all night to ensure that she was at the palace in time for the sages’ council’s meeting on the strange disturbances that had occurred since the Sanctuary fell.

Felix followed a few paces behind her. He could sense his Lady’s rage and frustration but he guessed that no one else would be able to.

“Lady Crusch!” A voice called.

Crusch checked a sigh and turned to face the speaker. He was a tall man, perhaps twenty years older than Crusch. He had dark hair and a kind, open face with a small black beard. “Grand Duke Montefort!” She said, putting a smile on her face for her most powerful supporter. “It is wonderful to see you.”

“And you as well, Lady Crusch,” Montefort said with a low bow. Montefort was by far the most powerful noble in the kingdom and the head of the Lagunican conservative faction. He had joined the Crusch faction early on and his allegiance had been an enormous stroke of good fortune for her prospects to gain the throne. “I was surprised to find you here. I thought, given your latest report to the royal assembly, that you would be hunting down Subaru Natsuki and his witch.”

Crusch’s smile became strained. “My scouts remain in the field. I doubt that I personally could add much to the chase. If a trail exists they will find it, I assure you. I returned to brief the sages’ council personally on the matter.”

“Splendid,” Montefort said with an easy smile. “I read your last report. Do you truly believe that this witch… do you truly believe that the Witch of Envy is free? And that Subaru Natsuki is traveling with her?”

Crusch took a deep breath. Montefort’s skepticism was palatable but she reminded herself that it was totally understandable. “I have received solid intelligence from numerous sources that Subaru Natsuki is out in the wilds with a woman matching the description of the Witch of Envy.”

“So… a half-elf with silver hair, then?”

Crusch’s lips tightened. She had to remind herself to be patient. Montefort was one of the most powerful men in the kingdom, perhaps even the most powerful. However, he was also a member of Crusch’s faction and respected her. Therefore, he was going out of his way to address his skepticism about Crusch’s report politely and obliquely. Crusch reminded herself to be grateful for this as when she stood before the sages’ council, they would give her no such consideration. “Lord Montefort, I understand that this news is deeply concerning and perhaps even unbelievable but Subaru Natsuki himself admitted to taking this half-elf out of a place called ‘the Witch’s Tomb’. I believe that it would be extremely wise for us to consider her a powerful threat until the evidence establishes otherwise. We might waste effort this way but that is far preferable to wasting lives.”

“Well put,” Montefort agreed. “Your father would have said much the same.”

Crusch genuinely smiled for the first time in days. “You honor me, Lord Montefort.”

“Not at all. However, as a loyal member of your faction, I must urge you to be… selective in your admissions to the sages’ council. They are considered to be extremely wise men, especially by themselves, and they will not take well to having that wisdom questioned. You will require the sages’ council to be amendable to your designs if you seek to carry them out. And above all else, you must make certain that the council believes that this is not partisan politics. I sorely regret to tell you that… reliable sources have informed me that several members of the sages’ council, as well as the Royal assembly itself, are convinced that this is simply a slander campaign against your foe.”

Crusch nodded. “Unhappy news but not unexpected and likely unavoidable. I will simply present the facts. The sages will draw their own inferences. I am optimistic that this will be sufficient,” She paused. “Do you believe that the Royal assembly could be persuaded to take action?”

Montefort rocked his hand back and forth uncertainly. “That depends on what type of action you’re looking for.”

Crusch thought hard for a moment. “Subaru Natsuki is very likely to be the future king of Lagunica,” Crusch said, the words tasting like ashes in her mouth. “The kingdom must consider his safe return a priority. We need to requisition the necessary resources to locate him and ensure his safety.”

Montefort thought about it. “The Royal assembly would likely be amendable to such a request. My faction would obviously support you in this matter. However, I do urge you to be… circumspect. The sages’ council has authority over the Royal assembly in most areas. If the sages’ council is unconvinced of the necessity of this action, they might veto it simply to preserve their power and authority. I must confess that neither I nor my faction has any interest in an open conflict with the sages’ council. While the members of the sages’ council do serve at the Royal assembly’s pleasure, the Royal assembly dismissing any member of the sages’ council, especially for political reasons, would be a declaration of war between the governing councils of Lagunica that our nation could ill afford at this time.”

“Of course. I never intended to suggest such,” Crusch agreed.

“Please forgive me, Lady Crusch. I tend to ramble on sometimes. It’s a bad habit that I picked up somewhere. You are most courteous to listen to my musing. I know that you must prepare for the council meeting so I will wish you good luck. I am confident in your success.”

“Thank you, Lord Montefort,” Crusch said with a nod. “You hearten me greatly.”

Montefort stepped aside and Crusch and Felix continued down the hallway.

Montefort watched them walk away with a thoughtful expression on his face.

Subaru watched the forest fly by him in bemusement as Emilia ran through the trees like a gazelle.

It was on the tip of Subaru’s tongue to protest the way that he was being handled. She didn’t have to carry him like an infant, he could still walk after all. But on the other hand, protesting felt like it would have taken an awful lot of work and Emilia felt so warm pressed up against him.

Everything felt fuzzy to Subaru as he pressed his face against Emilia’s warm neck, “You feel wonderful,” He murmured.

“Subaru!” She shouted, waking him when he had almost drifted off, “I’m going to find you someplace warm but you have to stay with me, OK?!”

With her? Where did she think he was going? She was carrying him for crying out loud. And why would he want to go anywhere anyway. Emilia was the warmest, softest thing that he could imagine. Subaru felt like he could sleep here forever in perfect contentment.

Subaru was shaken awake again by a sudden falling sensation. Then he heard a sharp cracking sound as Emilia hit the ground. He blinked and realized that Emilia had leapt or fallen off of a tall hill and onto a vast frozen river.

She stood tensed for a moment, listening for further cracks but none came.

“Subaru! You said a river would lead me to a village! Which way do I go? Upstream or downstream?” Emilia gasped.

Subaru thought about it for a moment but his thoughts seemed to be going every which way. Instead of answering, he said: “How can you tell which way the river is flowing when it’s frozen?” He asked curiously.

Emilia stiffened, and after a moment’s hesitation, took off running full speed ‘down’ the river.

“We’ll follow the river out of the forest! Then we can get you warm! Subaru, listen to me!” Emilia called out, not even breathing hard, “You need to stay awake! Stay with me! Tell me about… tell me about how your engine works!” She said desperately.

Subaru yawned, “The engine?” He asked vaguely. Why wouldn’t Emilia just let him sleep?

“Yes! Explain to me how your engine thing works again!” Emilia shouted.

Subaru yawned and tried to snuggle deeper into Emilia’s soft, warm neck, “I think maybe gasoline is involved…”

“Gas…oline?” Emilia struggled over the unfamiliar world.

“Sure, why not,” Subaru replied. He didn’t feel cold anymore, just very sleepy.

Subaru was dimly aware of Emilia having stopped running.

“Subaru, I think I see something. Just hang on, Subaru. Subaru? Subaru!” She cried out as Subaru finally drifted off to sleep.

“Lady Anastasia, I implore you to reconsider,” Willard Pickett said with a hard edge in his voice. He was a short and extremely corpulent man dressed in a black pinstriped suit that would have befit a merchant or banker. “Your decision to try and reach an accommodation with Subaru Natsuki is causing… a great deal of upheaval in your faction!”

Pickett struggled his way up the steps to the royal palace using a burnished black cane. Because of his weight, Pickett was laboriously climbing each step with much cursing and Anastasia fought to curb her impatience as she and Julius politely waited by his side.

Anastasia checked a sighed. “I must admit, Guild-Master, I fail to understand the concern. Subaru Natsuki not only appears to be a shoe-in for the throne but his inventions are poised to transform the economy of the entire world! It seems to me that we are much better off being on board for this little ride than in trying to stand against it,” Anastasia replied, trying to placate this unassuming man who was actually the head of the Lagunican merchant association and one of the most powerful merchants in the world. He had come out as a strong advocate for Anastasia’s coronation and they had always agreed upon major policies before.

They did not agree now.

“I am extremely interested in his inventions,” Willard admitted. “However, it is his other policies that concern me.”

“Concern you in what way?”

“He plans to empty the slums!” Willard pointed out.

Anastasia’s eyes narrowed imperceptibly. “And… wouldn’t that be a good thing?” She asked mildly.

“No one feels for the dust rats in the slums more than I,” Willard said briskly. “Their situation is truly lamentable, but I must represent my constituents including the Lagunican craftsmen guild. They depend on that cheap labor! If the slums were emptied or if the population was even substantially reduced, their profits would crumble! We would lose most of our manufacturing sector as they struggled to make ends meet! The economic upheaval would be an unmitigated disaster for the entire country!”

Anastasia carefully counted to ten before replying. “It’ll certainly be an upheaval. But my discussions with Subaru Natsuki seem to indicate that he understands that and that he can be persuaded to act cautiously and provide sufficient stimulus to avoid the pain to the manufacturing sector that you were describing. We discussed significant work orders for a new infrastructure plan for Lagunica during our last talk.”

“Fascinating,” Willard said perfunctorily. “Nonetheless, the new paradigm has nothing to recommend it and the current paradigm has worked for my constituents to perfect satisfaction for centuries. Disrupting this paradigm is an unacceptable risk to our profits. We can not approve.”

“Nothing to recommend it?” Anastasia echoed in a chill voice.

“Aside from improving the lives of a few persons of no importance,” Willard admitted.

“Master Pickett,” Anastasia said, fighting for patience, “Have you forgotten that I myself lived on the streets and ate out of trash cans until I managed to claw my way out?”

“I am entirely aware of this, Lady Anastasia. That is why I thought you’d be the first to agree that the slum dwellers can certainly make a similar achievement.”

“With an overwhelming slice of luck, maybe,” Anastasia sighed. “Master Pickett, all morality aside, we are discussing a program with enormous economic benefits for the entire country. Finding well-paying jobs for the slum dwellers increases our customer base by a staggering degree and raises the demand for both necessities and luxury goods. Profits will surge! I am not unaware nor am I insensitive to the plight of the manufacturing sector and I plan to work out a mutually beneficial agreement with Subaru Natsuki to ensure the stability of that sector before offering him any support-”

“We do not find this acceptable, Lady Anastasia!” Willard gasped for breath as they finally reached the top of the steps to the royal palace. “The slum dwellers will remain where they are and service us as they always have. That is my final word on the subject.”

Anastasia took this like a slap in the face and her jaw dropped. Before she could respond, Willard had turned his back on her and shuffled painfully away.

“Lady Priscilla, I really do need to speak with you,” Lord Zyst said in an annoyed voice. Lady Priscilla reclined on a lounge chair in a small side chamber of the royal palace. Al sat nearby, carefully peeling oranges for his lady to eat.

Zyst was a tall, thin man with a pallid face and no more hair on his head than an egg. He was a member of the royal assembly and the leader of the Mages’ Circle, an organization that trained all the powerful magic users of the kingdom. He’d become an early supporter of Priscilla, largely out of fascination with her strangely potent luck.

“About what?” She asked in a bored tone.

“Your attempt to… offer your hand to Subaru Natsuki,” Zyst grumbled.

Priscilla laughed. “Oh, did I dash your hopes? Did you lie awake at night dreaming about me?”

“Not as such, Lady Priscilla,” Zyst growled, fighting for calm. “I’m more concerned about your decision not to continue fighting Subaru Natsuki.”

Priscilla’s normally haughty visage became contemplative. “It is a strange sort of situation. I’ve never admitted defeat before,” Priscilla mused, “But perhaps it’s all for the better this way. Lady Anastasia and I have discussed Subaru Natsuki’s latest machine at some length. This ‘engine’ will literally change the world! I expect that Lagunica will come to completely dominate the continent within ten years. I intend to be queen of the entire world, Zyst. What’s the problem?”

“The problem, Lady Priscilla, deals with these machines themselves,” Zyst explained. “They appear poised to replace a large amount of labor currently performed by magic and enchantments. Worse, my sources indicate that they work off of cheap mana crystals.”

“So?”

“Charging a mana crystal with magic is not terribly difficult, Lady Priscilla. It requires a minimum of training compared to the years and decades of study that we insist on from established mages of the circle.”

“Isn’t that a good thing?” Priscilla asked, sounding not terribly interested.

Zyst closed his eyes and seemed to count to ten. “Lady Priscilla,” He said very slowly, as if speaking to an infant. “This will take a large amount of professional work from our mages and put it into the hands of a group of ignorant hedge-wizards who have never been trained and are willing to work for coppers. It will lead to a race to the bottom for the price of magic in this country. My people are rightly concerned.”

Priscilla laughed. “So you’re worried about losing your monopoly, is that it?”

Zyst ground his teeth. “Yes, Lady Priscilla, that is exactly it.”

“Oh, you poor dear,” She mocked. “But then, politics does select winners and losers, doesn’t it? I’d suggest that you do everything you can to be on the winning side. I always am.”

“Trust me, Lady Priscilla, I will,” Zyst said in a chill voice before walking away.

Subaru woke up sometime later, lying in bed. Something warm and soft and wonderful was lying on top of him.

“Emilia?” He asked groggily.

They were under a heavy blanket in a small bed, someplace that Subaru didn’t recognize. They were both naked.

“Subaru!” Emilia whispered, her eyes streaming tears. She was crying as she wrapped her arms around him and squeezed him tight.

“Mili, believe me, this is a wonderful way to wake up but I still need to breathe!” He giggled, feeling almost drunk.

Tears were flowing down her face, “You were so cold! I was afraid that…”

“I don’t feel cold,” Subaru assured her, holding her closer, “You feel so wonderful,” He murmured, wondering if maybe he could go back to sleep for a bit, “I want to wake up like this everyday.”

“Huh?”

“Didn’t we used to sleep together?” Subaru asked absently.

“Err… Subaru, of course we did!”

“Oh, that’s just wonderful!” Subaru smiled.

Emilia was staring down at Subaru with a combination of confusion and concern, “Subaru, do you feel alright?”

“I feel super,” Subaru assured her with his eyes closed, “I’m in bed with the most beautiful woman in the world.” He giggled. Then he thought for a moment, “Hey, Mili, where did you find a bed anyway?”

“Well…”

“Oh no!” Subaru moaned.

“What?! What is it?!”

“Mili, are we dead?”

“…No, Subaru. We are not dead.”

“Oh, good. Well, we were bound to find some luck,” Subaru murmured with a smile.

Emilia was silent.

“So where did the bed come from?” Subaru mumbled.

Emilia hesitated for a long time. “Subaru… This is… my house.”

“Huh?”

“We… we aren’t in Gusteko like we thought we were. This is the Elior Forest.”

“I always wanted to come here,” Subaru mused in a dreamy voice.

“You did? Why?”

Subaru heard her but her words drifted out of his spacey brain completely unprocessed. Subaru looked around the cottage. The cottage only had one room and there was a fire-pit built right in the middle which held a blazing fire. The furniture was crude and rustic but it was clean and homey. Subaru and Emilia lay on a small bed in a corner. There was a small table in the kitchen with four chairs and there was a column of shelves built into one the wall. The counter had a large number of cabinets and a sink that looked like it supported running water.

Subaru suddenly giggled. Everything felt wonderful right now. “Don’t worry! Everything is going to work out! You should get some rest while I do some poking around. The first thing we need to do is figure out what happened to the spirits!”

Subaru tried to get out of bed but Emilia forcefully pushed him back down. “Subaru! There is a terrible storm raging outside and it is the middle of the night! We are not rushing off to rescue the spirits right now!” Emilia declared.

Subaru looked up at Emilia in shock. Emilia’s normally peaceful expression was as hard as iron.

Wow. I’ve never seen her like this. It’s almost like she’s daring me to argue with her.

“But-” He murmured.

“The storm is still raging outside, Subaru,” Emilia continued in a more conciliatory tone, stroking his cheek. “We can’t go anywhere tonight. You almost froze to death in this storm once already. If you die then the spirits die with you.”

Subaru stared up at Emilia as if he was struggling to follow what she was saying. “I feel like maybe we should go rescue them. Do we… know where they are?” He tried to remember.

Emilia bent down and gave him a tender kiss. “Tomorrow, Subaru. Tomorrow.”

Subaru closed his eyes. He tried to pull his thoughts together but it was like raking leaves in a windstorm. “Hey, Mili, can I have another kiss?”

Subaru didn’t open his eyes but he felt Emilia bend down and give him a soft and tender kiss.

“Oh, that’s wonderful,” He said. “I love your kisses, Milli. They are to me what water is to a man dying of thirst,” He started giggle as if this had been a great joke.

Emilia stared at him in concern. “Subaru, you’re warm now but you’re still acting very funny.”

“You have that effect on me, sometimes,” Subaru admitted with a yawn.

“Hm. Maybe I should try to find you some food,” Emilia murmured, starting to get up.

“No!” Subaru protested, grabbing and pulling the startled girl back down on top of him and wrapping himself around her as if she were a teddy bear, “Stay here! I’ll be lonely if you go,” He whined.

“…Alright,” Emilia said slowly.

“Mili, can we stay like this forever?” Subaru murmured plaintively.

“…Maybe?” Emilia replied.

Subaru drifted back off to sleep.

Emilia stayed beside Subaru until she was certain that he was deep asleep. Then she bundled Subaru up under the blankets and pulled her clothes back on.

I need to make us something to eat. I certainly can’t go foraging in this storm. I shouldn’t leave Subaru alone for long right now anyway.

Emilia started opening cabinets in the small cottage.

This is bad. I’m nearly out of food. All I have left is a few preserved roots and vegetables.

Subaru’s been sick. He needs food.

Although, I suppose he can’t eat while he’s asleep anyway.

Emilia returned to Subaru’s side and gently took his hand.

She jumped and dropped it.

Oh Gods, he’s burning up! He felt like ice just a few hours ago and now he feels like a furnace! But Subaru is also shivering. Is that because maybe it’s too cold in here?

I’ve never tried to take care of someone who was sick. Do I try to keep him warm or help him cool off? What do I do?!

If Subaru almost froze to death then maybe I should climb back into bed with him and keep him warm? But is that the right thing? Maybe I should start taking his blankets off and help him cool down?

But he got sick because he was out in the cold! Maybe cooling him off would make him worse! Gods! I don’t know what to do! Daddy, why aren’t you here when I need you?!

A small, nasty voice in Emilia’s mind answered her, You know exactly why. Because he turned his back on you. He disowned you. He’s Subaru’s Daddy now. He wished that you were dead so that you couldn’t hurt Subaru anymore. Even now, when you’re the only one that Subaru has, you have no idea how to help him. You are completely useless.

Emilia shook her head violently, trying to shake off those poisonous thoughts.

You are nothing but a helpless little girl, The nasty voice continued. All that you’re capable of is making other people miserable. You cursed your own family because you couldn’t deal with the terror of the attack on the Forest, you allowed yourself to be trapped inside the Sanctuary because you were blind to Roswaal’s scheming, and you lost all control of your magic and you absolutely would have killed Felt and Subaru if Puck and Beatrice hadn’t saved them. You are the most pathetic woman on the face of this world.

Tears welled up in Emilia’s eyes but she angrily wiped them away. No! I have to be more than that! I have to. Like it or not, Emilia, Subaru is depending on you. He needs you! You are all that Subaru has so you will have to be enough.

She felt his forehead again.

I feel like he was shivering less when I was in bed with him earlier so maybe that’s a sign that I need to keep him warmer?

Subaru moaned briefly but said nothing else.

Subaru. I’m so sorry for everything. I never meant for any of this to happen.

Subaru gave a great hacking cough that sounded wet and congested.

Emilia watched Subaru choke and struggle to breath through lungs full of fluid. She slid onto the bed and helped Subaru sit up. She laid his head against her shoulder and gently stroked his hair.

This probably isn’t the most comfortable position, but at least he seems to be breathing easier.

And it might be my imagination but I think me rubbing his head is making him calmer.

Emilia cuddled the unconscious Subaru close.

Emilia wearily shook her head. I’m exhausted. I’m about to pass out. I need to close my eyes for a few minutes.

Emilia jerked awake, unaware that she had ever fallen asleep. She looked out the window. The sun would rise in a few hours.

That means I slept through the rest of the night and almost clear through to morning…

Emilia climbed out of bed, being careful not to wake Subaru. The fire had gone out and the house was freezing.

Emilia gently brushed his forehead. He felt a little warm but at least that terrible fever was gone.

Emilia tried to start the fire. She knelt by the wood pile and picked up a few pieces of dusty old logs with a dispirited expression.

I need to keep Subaru warm. I could start a fire with the leftover firewood I have here but it will never last all day, much less through tonight or tomorrow. I’ll need to find more firewood. This cottage wasn’t designed to be insulated against supernatural cold, and it certainly was never intended to house someone who can’t use their natural mana to stay warm. I’ll need to keep the fire burning and that means I need to find more firewood and start drying it out as soon as possible.

The problem is the village woodshed is empty. I’d emptied it the ‘winter’ that Roswaal came to find me and I’d intended to refill it during the ‘spring’ when the forest’s cold wasn’t so intense and I wouldn’t have needed a fire to stay warm. But I wasn’t here to look for firewood in the spring because I left the forest with Roswaal!

Wait, what about the old storage shed on the other side of the forest? I think that the villagers left it fully stocked before… the accident. The wood must be dried out by now!

It’s a long walk though. I might be gone all day, especially if I stop to find more wood to restock the shed for later.

Emilia gave Subaru’s sleeping body a dubious glance.

As she watched, he shivered.

She shook her head. I need to chance it. I have to keep Subaru warm.

Subaru looks like he might sleep for a few more hours. So if I’m going to go, this is the best time.

Emilia quickly kindled a fire with some of the remaining wood.

Emilia walked out the door but she only got a few steps before she froze in her tracks.

Emilia! You are so stupid! Remember what Daddy told you the other day? What Subaru told you yesterday? If Subaru wakes up and you’re not here, he’ll panic! He might even venture back out into the forest looking for you! You need to leave him a note!

Emilia raced back inside and rummaged through Subaru’s satchel looking for paper and something to write with. She felt around in the satchel. She found the ‘cell phone’ and a set of keys strung on a strange charm bangle that must have been Subaru’s mementos of his home world. She touched Puck’s gem and pulled her fingers away quickly as if it pained her.

Emilia frowned, pulling a small black book out of the satchel. What is this? Emilia thought. I’ve never seen this before but… something tells me that it’s dangerous…

Emilia carefully opened the book and looked at the first page. A moment later she flinched and slammed the book shut.

I can’t read whatever language this is written in. Maybe it’s from Subaru’s world? Just staring at these letters is giving me a bad headache. She closed her eyes for a moment as the room spun around her. She shook her head, trying to clear it.

Emilia flipped through the strange book until she found a blank page at the end and tore it out.

Emilia shut the book and put it down on the table. Emilia felt a strong urge to wipe her hands on her skirt. She did this several times but her hands still felt oily to her.

I need to ask Subaru about this book when he wakes up…

She quickly wrote a note. ‘Dear Subaru, I am going to the storehouse outside the western glade to gather firewood. I should be home sometime late tonight. If you wake up, just stay here. Storms can spring up very suddenly in the forest and I can manage the cold much better than you can. Please don’t worry about me. I used to go to the glade for firewood all the time so there is no danger to me and I know how to stay clear of all the mabeasts, most of whom are in the northern part of the forest anyway. I will be home as soon as I can. Stay in bed!’ Emilia underlined the last sentence three times.

“Love, Emilia,” She finished, leaving the note on the table.

Thinking that she had finally taken care of everything, Emilia left the house and raced off to find firewood. She quickly vanished into the forest.

A few minutes after Emilia left, the cottage door opened again.

Someone entered the house, calmly closing the door behind them.

They looked at the table, reading Emilia’s note.

Then they noticed the book.

Subaru first knew he was awake when he realized that he was in sheering pain. Every muscle in his body ached.

Subaru’s eyes fluttered open. He was in a bed, someplace that he’d never seen before.

“Emilia?” Subaru called in a hoarse croak. He shook his head, trying to clear it but his mind felt fuzzy.

Subaru looked around the small cottage but Emilia wasn’t there.

He noticed a piece of paper on the otherwise empty table nearby.

Maybe Emilia left me a note? Subaru thought blearily as he struggled to get out of the bed and to his feet.

It took Subaru several tries to get up. His legs didn’t seem to want to support him, they felt rubbery and wobbled under him. His body felt as if it had been taken apart and put back together inside out. Subaru laboriously took the three steps to the table and leaned on it, stopping to catch his breath. Then he bent down and inspected the note.

Subaru frowned. Reading was challenging right now. He had to read the note several times before he was able to parse the message.

“Subaru, I am in danger. The mabeasts are approaching the cottage. I will draw them away. Please follow my trail and come find me as soon as you can.”

Subaru’s heart stopped. The mabeasts?! Why would they come here?!

Fuck! Maybe the mabeasts I ‘tamed’ slipped the leash or something! What if they came here looking for revenge?! Emilia must have decided that she couldn’t risk moving me so she tried to lead the mabeasts away from here!

Fuck! I have to find her!

Subaru wrestled with his clothes trying to put them on. His range of motion was extremely limited and he struggled to get his arms into his shirt sleeves.

Finally, Subaru limped out of the cottage door. His steps were short and each one threatened to unbalance him. The sun had set and the cold was bitter. The wind howled and it was hard to tell if it was still snowing or if the snow was just being blown everywhere.

He leaned against the door frame, panting for breath. He appeared to be in a village of some kind but there was no time to inspect it. He quickly scanned the surrounding houses and saw that the chimneys were barren of smoke and there were no lights visible. For whatever reason, the village was clearly deserted. Looking for help here would be a waste of time.

Subaru saw a single trail of footprints leading away from the cottage.

Buck up, Subaru! Emilia needs you! This is no time to stay sick in bed like a kid with a runny nose!

Subaru closed the door behind him and fell onto his hands and knees in the snow. Subaru struggled back to his feet and grabbed a nearby fallen tree branch to use as a walking stick. He lurched like a cripple through the abandoned village as he fought his way through the deep snowbanks.

From far back in the trees, a figure watched him go.

Come on! Subaru thought to himself. Get moving!

Subaru lurched through the forest, clinging to his makeshift walking stick, following Emilia’s tracks in the snow. Willpower alone kept him moving. His entire body ached and every painful stumble threatened to unbalance him and send him face down into the snow. As much as it galled him to waste time when Emilia was in danger, Subaru forced himself to move slowly and deliberately. Getting to Emilia slowly was better than not getting there at all and if Subaru fell down in the deep snow, he truly feared that he would be unable to get back up again.

After over an hour of struggling through the snow, Subaru had gone less than two miles.

Subaru heard thunder in the distance. Great booming explosions and flashes of lighting echoed through the forest. Far off in the distance, he watched a huge tree fall.

Lightning?! In this cold?! Wait, can you even get lightning in a winter storm? I’ve never seen any. Not sure if that means it’s impossible though. I’ll ask Emilia about it when I find her. I have way more important problems right now!

Fuck me. I can’t even enter Reason and Judgment right now. Every time I try, the world slows down and then speeds up again and my head feels rubbery and I want to throw up!

Maybe I’ve strained or overused the Authority somehow? Is that possible?

Subaru shook his head, lurching along like an old man with a cane.

At least Emilia’s tracks are easy to follow.

Subaru stopped.

Wait a second. If these are Emilia’s tracks… then where are the mabeasts’ tracks? If Emilia is fleeing from mabeasts, or leading them away from the cottage, then where are the tracks from all the mabeasts chasing her?

Subaru leaned heavily on his branch. He shook his head, trying to concentrate but his brain felt as if it was packed in wool and his wits were scattered.

I don’t get it. What is Emilia doing? My brain feels… fuzzy. I can’t think straight. God, I wish that I could trigger Reason and Judgment right now!

Could I have misunderstood her note? How? It said explicitly, ‘I’m in danger, please come find me’ but in danger from what?

Something seems strange about all this.

Am I dreaming? No. Dreams rarely feature this much pain…

Subaru struggled onward a few more feet. Emilia’s trail ended at the edge of a frozen river.

Did she run down the river to avoid the snowdrifts? It would be much faster but which way did she go?

I’m just limping along here. I can’t search both banks for miles in each direction. And should I keep following her tracks anyway? Emilia’s tracks show that nothing was chasing her.

Could it be a flying mabeast? Like the stormcrow?

Subaru’s heart momentarily stopped but after a moment he shook his head.

Even a stormcrow would leave some tracks when it tried to grab its prey off the ground. Besides, if Emilia was fleeing from something that flew, she wouldn’t run out onto the river. There’s no cover out there. The way to hide from a flying predator is to run into denser woods and thick underbrush where you’re protected.

Should I go back? I know the note said that Emilia was in danger but I don’t see how. And why would she leave a note telling me to come find her without saying where she was going?

And if she meant to leave me a trail so that I could follow her, why travel down the river where she’d leave no tracks?

Oh God, my head hurts. I feel like I could collapse at any moment.

Subaru stood there for a long moment, panting and shivering.

Well, whatever is going on, I need to find Emilia. I can’t just go back to bed while there’s any doubt in my mind that she’s safe.

Reason and Judgment would be super useful right now. Too bad it’s not cooperating at the moment. Well, we’ll have to make do with what we have. Maybe I can spot some sign of her passing if I look around carefully.

Subaru shielded his eyes against the falling snow and peered at the far side of the river. Are those more tracks? Emilia’s tracks? I can’t tell from here.

OK, I need to find Emilia. She’s in trouble somehow, although apparently nothing was chasing her. But I need to be careful. This hill down to the riverbank is steep and it’s covered in fresh, powdery snow.

Subaru began to climb down toward the riverbank. He tried to be careful but he’d only gone about three steps down the incline when his makeshift cane slid out from under him and he fell flat on his back. The entire snowy hillside gave way under Subaru in a mini-avalanche and he was swept down the hill and thrown onto the hard ice with an impact that knocked the wind out of him.

Subaru lay there stunned for a long moment before bursting into a painful coughing fit. He struggled to hack something up. What he finally spat out on the frozen river was black and red and had the consistency of hot tar.

OK. That’s not encouraging…

Subaru tried to plant his walking stick on the ice to climb up off the frozen river but the broken off branch’s bottom was uneven and the branch kept slipping away when he tried to put his weight on it.

In desperation, Subaru tried to crawl to the river edge. His legs didn’t seem to want to function anymore so he used his arms to physically drag himself across the ice. Subaru’s entire body was spread out across the thick, hard ice. The cold was shocking and the chill penetrated his body all the way down to his core.

Got to keep moving…

Subaru fought for every inch of progress he made. He gasped for breath for every meter.

About halfway across, he paused and panted for breath. His eyes grew heavy.

No! Don’t stop! If you stop here, you will die, understand?! This wind and the cold ice will kill you just as easily as that frozen lake would have! It’s just a little slower to do it. Fall asleep here and you will never wake up again.

Emilia is in danger!

Subaru bit his lip and continued to drag himself to the shore.

Emilia returned to the cottage that evening carrying almost a dozen small, dried logs in her arms. She was carrying so many logs that she couldn’t see where she was going.

Maybe this wasn’t smart. Carrying this much wood saved me from having to make two trips but the one trip I made took all day! Going back to the cottage several times would have been better because it means I could have checked on Subaru. What’s worse is this really isn’t all that much wood. It might last us a few days but not much more. I’ll need to go back and get more wood tomorrow.

She heard thunder in the distance. Lightning? In the forest? We never get lightning here. This must be a bad storm.

Emilia fumbled with the doorknob. She struggled to support the stacked logs with one knee while she opened the door.

Emilia crept into the cottage as quietly as possible, trying not to disturb Subaru’s rest.

She tried to gently lower the logs onto her nearly empty wood pile but at the last moment, her arm spasmed and the entire piled tumbled to the ground with a thunderous crash.

Emilia flinched with a guilty expression on her face. “Sorry, Subaru,” She murmured, looking at the bed.

Subaru wasn’t there.

Her eyes widened in shock. Where is Subaru?! Did he leave me a note?!

Emilia sprang to the table and checked the note.

Her face twisted in horror. What?! I didn’t write this! Someone changed my note! And that means that someone else is in the forest and that they’re trying to lure Subaru into a trap!

I need to find Subaru!

Emilia raced out of the cottage and froze in her tracks, her face completely baffled.

The cottage was surrounded by clean, virgin snow.

What? Where are Subaru’s tracks?! Where are my tracks from this morning? We’ve had nothing but flurries all day so at least my tracks from when I left the house earlier today should still be here.

But they’re not. All the tracks are gone! The only tracks here are the ones that I just made coming back to the house. What could have done this?!

Emilia scanned the area frantically for some sign of Subaru’s passing but there was nothing but clean, unmarked snow.

Emilia buried her face in her hands. Think, Emilia! For once in your blasted life, think! Pretend that you’re smart like Subaru. If you were Subaru, what would you have done?!

Alright… So the person that I love left me a note that said they were in danger… So I leave the cottage and follow their tracks?

But my tracks are gone.

Emilia paced back and forth in the open doorway, biting her lip. I need to find Subaru! Someone else is clearly in the forest and they mean him harm. Subaru is already very sick. The chill in the air alone could kill him! I need to find him right away! What do I do?!

Maybe… Maybe whatever erased our tracks did so after Subaru left? It would make sense since his tracks are gone too. That means maybe he really did follow my trail. I didn’t come back the same way I went to the storehouse so I easily could have missed him!

That’s it! That’s what I’ll do! Anything is better than just waiting around here!

Emilia leaped from the cottage then abruptly stopped, smacking her palm against her forehead. The note, Emilia! Fix the note! Maybe whoever changed it will come back and change it again but trying to fix the note is better than nothing!

Emilia ran back inside and quickly sketched out a new message on the same paper. ‘Subaru. I am not in danger. Someone forged my note. I am going to try and find you. If you get back before me, please stay here. Someone is in the forest and I’m worried that they might try to hurt you.’

Emilia then flew out the door and vanished into the storm.

Subaru was gasping and trembling violently when he finally reached the riverbank.

Subaru planted his cane into the frozen snow. This time it held his weight. Subaru slowly climbed back to his feet, using the cane to support him.

Finally, Subaru was back on his feet. His entire body trembled and he wondered if another step or two would be all that it would take to send him down again. His body was numb and it wouldn’t stop shivering.

I’ve lost all my body heat from lying on that ice. I don’t think that I’m strong enough to warm my own body in this storm. I’m certainly not dressed for it.

If I don’t get someplace warm soon, I’ve had it.

Not important. I need to find Emilia. I can’t die until she’s safe.

There was a steady thudding sound from down river.

Subaru’s eyes wouldn’t focus but in the distance he saw a great black form charging toward him through the snow. It was moving fast and kicking up a great cloud of snow in its wake.

Another mabeast…

Could I use Pridebreaker on this mabeast?

Subaru tried to tap into his Authority but his body just trembled and his stomach swam.

I’ll take that as a no. I can’t trigger Reason and Judgment right now and just the thought of trying to use Pridebreaker again makes me want to collapse.

I’m not even sure that I can use Indomitable right now. This is bad.

Emilia raced through the forest at top speed, trying to retrace her path toward the storage shed.

She’s only gone a small part of the distance when she stopped and shook her head.

No tracks…

…I don’t think that Subaru could have gone this far anyway. Subaru was very sick. He couldn’t have walked very far. Even when he’s healthy he can’t move very well in this snow.

What do I do?

…I should head back toward the village. I’ll make a big circle around the village a few miles around. Then I’ll make a spiral pattern back to the village until I run into his tracks.

Emilia leaped down onto the ice and sped down the river. Her gaze swept the forest, frantically looking for any sign of Subaru’s passing. She froze in shock as a colossal fork of lightning flashed across the sky. Strangely, this lightning seemed to have leaped up from the distant hills.

Emilia shook her head. No time to worry about this now. She kept running.

She’d only gone a short distance down the river when she heard a piercing scream coming from a glade to her right.

“Subaru!” She gasped and bolted off into the glade.

The great black beast was thundering toward Subaru in a massive spray of snow.

It’s too big to be a wolgarm but too small to be a Guiltylowe. What the heck is it?

Subaru fought to stand erect.

Don’t lean on your staff. Animals prey on the sick and the lame and right now you’re both.

Can you use Indomitable? You can’t risk testing it if you might need to use it in ten seconds.

OK! You don’t know if you can break this mabeast into pieces but don’t give him any reason to doubt it! Bluff, Subaru! Make him back down.

Subaru took a deep breath as the creature raced up to him and then… came to a stop.

Subaru looked up in shock as the velociraptor-shaped beast bent over and nuzzled his head.

“Um. Hi?” Subaru whispered.

The black riding dragon made a variety of clucking noises that sounded as if the beast was very pleased with itself.

“Wait. You’re the earth dragon that brought me and Beatrice to the Sanctuary. How the hell did you get here?” Subaru breathed in amazement. “Am I hallucinating?”

The dragon nudged him and Subaru nearly fell down into the snow. Only a wild grab for the riding dragon’s harness saved him.

Subaru leaned against the black riding dragon, panting for breath. He saw a long shallow cut running down the dragon’s shoulder.

“What happened to you, girl?” Subaru asked. “Did you get hurt?”

The dragon gave a moaning sound and looked off into the forest with a worried expression.

“Did something try to attack you?” Subaru prodded.

The dragon gave a long shiver that rattled her scales and moaned again.

Subaru shook his head. “Well… much as I wish you could talk right now, maybe you can still help me. Emilia is missing and I think that she’s in danger. Can you help me find her? Are you OK for a ride?”

The dragon snorted.

Subaru made a face. “OK… you actually look kind of offended by that question… Wow. Now I’m worried that you can understand what I’m saying. I need to ask Emilia about that-”

Subaru’s eyes widened and he shook his head. “Emilia! Right. We need to go!”

Subaru tried to raise his leg into the dragon’s stirrup and completely missed. He tried it two more times with identical results and then leaned heavily against the dragon, trying to catch his breath and trembling.

The dragon unexpectedly sank to her knees in the snow and Subaru suddenly found himself falling. Subaru landed full on her saddle in an impact that knocked the wind out of him.

The dragon clucked, sounding concerned.

Subaru finally caught his breath. “Thanks, girl,” He whispered with a weak smile. “I’m not feeling my best right now.”

With the dragon’s help, Subaru mounted the beast and she stood up, shaking off the snow.

“OK, girl,” Subaru whispered. “Are you ready?”

The dragon looked back at him and clucked with a worried expression as if to say: I am but I don’t know about you!

Subaru was still panting for breath as he nudged the dragon’s sides and she took off at a run.

Emilia tore her way through the frozen underbrush, following the scream. She began to hear growls.

She burst into a wide clearing that was dominated by a huge dead tree. Dozens of mabeasts, both wolgarm and Guiltylowe, prowled around the tree, leering up into its boughs. Emilia saw a girl perched helplessly in its branches at least twenty feet up.

The girl was human and around Felt’s age. She had dark red hair set in a French braid and she was wearing a blue hooded cloak as well as brown pants and a white shirt. She sat shivering in the freezing wind. She desperately hugged the tree and her skin looked blue even from a distance. Tiny ice patches were clearly visible on her clothes.

Emilia saw a body lying in the snow. A corpse that was so torn up by the mabeasts that he was barely recognizable as having been human. Next to him, Emilia saw the frozen carcass of a white riding dragon that seemed to have been disemboweled but otherwise uneaten.

The girl looked at Emilia and her face turned pale. Emilia realizes that her hood had fallen down and that the girl was seeing both her ears and her hair.

That girl was already terrified of being eaten by mabeasts. Now she thinks that the Witch of the Wood has come for dinner as well!

A huge Guiltylowe tried to climb up the tree, snapping at the girl.

She screamed in terror. She tried to climb higher and nearly lost her grip. She fell back down onto her branch, clutching it desperately.

The Guiltylowe scrambled up the trunk a good ten feet before it lost momentum and slid back down, its claws digging long tracks into the smooth trunk.

Emilia looked around the clearing. There were three Guiltylowe and two dozen wolgarm.

The girl gave a piercing scream as her numb hands finally let go and she fell backwards, landing in the deep snow, the impact knocking the breath out of her.

The mabeasts salivated and readied to pounce but Emilia sprang forward and the mabeasts were all staggered by an icy explosion and a huge spray of snow.

When beasts had finally wiped the snow from their faces, Emilia was standing in front of the girl, her hands crackling with cobalt energy.

“Leave her alone,” Emilia said firmly.

The Guiltylowe roared and the girl scrambled backwards toward the tree but Emilia didn’t move.

I can’t handle this many mabeasts. Even if Daddy were here, I’m not sure if I could scare them all off.

But I can’t just leave this girl to be eaten…

What can I do?

The mabeasts all growled but they didn’t approach.

Emilia frowned.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a wolgarm slinking toward the girl from behind.

Emilia sprang around the girl and got between her and the wolgarm. The beast stopped in its tracks with a frustrated snarl.

However, now that Emilia wasn’t between the girl and the other mabeasts, the three Guiltylowe started to prowl closer.

Emilia raced back toward the Guiltlylowe. “Get away!” She shouted, with a crackle of cobalt lightning arcing between her fingers.

The Guiltylowe all roared and looked at Emilia with flinty hatred in their eyes but for some reason they didn’t attack.

Emilia thought for a moment and then her eyes widened.

She looked down at the girl who was clearly debating whether she should be more afraid of the mabeasts or Emilia.

“Here. Let me help you,” Emilia said, not giving the girl a chance to reply before scooping her up in her arms.

The girl gave a terrified squeak as Emilia cradled her against her chest like a baby.

Emilia gave the monsters a thin smile. “I know why you’re holding back. You’re the same mabeasts that Subaru enchanted yesterday. The ones that he told weren’t allowed to hurt me. You know that if I get so much as a scratch, Subaru will tear you all apart. Well, I promise you, the only way you’re getting your claws on this girl is to go through me so you had better go and find an easier meal.”

The mabeasts snarled, all clearly furious. The largest Guiltylowe roared and gathered itself as it prepared to pounce.

Don’t blink, Emilia!

The largest Guiltylowe gave a long rumbling growl that slowly faded away. Then its muscles gradually unclenched and it gave Emilia a look of profound hatred. The Guiltylowe hung it’s head and began to slink away through the snow.

The other Guiltylowe and wolgarm followed their leader.

Emilia watched the mabeasts prowl out of sight. They vanished into the darkened woods with many looks of loathing cast back at Emilia. Emilia stood there staring into the dark, long enough to be sure that they were gone, as she held the trembling girl in her arms.

Emilia let out an explosive breath of air.

“Oh my,” She whispered in relief. “I can’t believe that worked!”

“Ah-Ah!” The girl whimpered against her chest.

Emilia started, having nearly forgotten about the girl she held. “Oh! Are you alright?” Emilia asked the girl.

The girl looked up at Emilia with huge eyes. Her teeth were chattering violently. “Ah-Ah-Are you going to ka-ka-cook me?!” She whispered.

Emilia blinked in shock. “No! Of course not!” Emilia shook her head with a sigh. “Listen, I know that I’m a silver haired half-elf but I promise you, I mean you no harm. We need to get you out of the cold!”

Emilia stared heading back to the village then froze in her tracks.

Wait! What about Subaru?! I can’t just abandon him out here! But what do I do about the girl? If I don’t get her someplace warm she might die! But if Subaru’s out here he might be dying too! What do I do?!

“Lou-lou-look out!” The girl squeaked.

Emilia spun around and saw a huge monster racing into the clearing, churning up great clouds of snow.

She prepared to summon her magic but the beast slowed to a trot as it neared and then stopped altogether.

“A riding dragon?” Emilia murmured.

“Emilia,” A voice croaked.

“Subaru!” Emilia raced to the dragon side and saw Subaru lying atop the riding dragon, barely conscious.

“Mili, are you OK?” He whispered.

“I’m fine, Subaru,” She assured him. “I don’t know who wrote that note but it wasn’t me! I’m fine. We need to get you out of the cold! Subaru, where did you find the dragon?”

Subaru didn’t respond.

Emilia frantically felt Subaru’s face and it was as cold as the snow.

“Subaru!” Emilia shouted. She looked at the frightened girl in her arms. “Come on! We need to get you both out of the cold!”

Emilia grabbed the dragon’s reins and the dragon obediently followed Emilia toward the village with Subaru on its back.

Emilia flew into the cottage, not bothering to shut the door, and gently placed the trembling girl in a chair.

“Ouch!” The girl hissed.

“Are you alright?” Emilia asked.

The girl winced. “I-I think I broke my arm falling o-out of the tree!” She confessed through chattering teeth.

Emilia bit her lip then raced back outside and took Subaru off the dragon’s back and brought him inside. She quickly stripped him down.

“Wh-wh-whoah! I da-da-don’t need to see t-that!” The girl squeaked in a barely audible voice as she turned her face away from Subaru’s naked body.

Emilia ignored her as she gently tucked Subaru into bed.

“Let’s see. What else can I do?” Emilia whispered, sounding frazzled. She quickly threw a few logs into the dying cinders of the fire pit and waved her hands over them.

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The logs all exploded into brilliant flame.

The girl sighed in relief. She pulled her chair closer to the flames and held her frozen fingers out to the fire.

“Stay here!” Emilia instructed the girl, “I’ll be right back!”

The girl nodded and Emilia raced back to the door and grabbed the reins of the dragon who seemed to be trying to squeeze through the door.

“Come along, girl,” Emilia said gently. “There’s an old stable in the village. I think that you’ll like it there.”

Emilia shut the cottage door.

The girl shook her head in disbelief. “Res-rescued from mabeasts by a wi-witch,” She said as her aching muscles began to warm up next to the fire. “This is ja-just like the first act of ‘Findláech of Ma-Ma-Moray.’ My life ke-keeps getting more in-interesting. That’s pra-probably a bad sign!”

The girl looked at the moaning, barely conscious Subaru. She slowly got up off her chair, grabbing it to steady herself and then fought her way over to the bed.

“Hey, are yo-you alright?” She asked, feeling his forehead and then opening his mouth and peering inside.

The girl shook her head as she finally stopped shivering. “Let’s see. You have recently had hypothermia,” She said with authority. “My sympathies. That’s no fun. I also see signs of a secondary infection. Being out in that cold won’t help either condition.”

She began to rummage around in the bag slung at her side. She paused and her face turned white. “Oh no. Don’t tell me I lost it. I couldn’t have lost it!” He whispered in horror.

Subaru slowly opened his eyes and looked up at her. His eyes struggled to focus on her as if he stared at her from across a great distance. “Why?” Subaru whispered. “Tell me why?”

“Why what?” The girl asked in a very distracted tone as she continued to frantically comb through her small bag.

She wasn’t sure if he had even heard her. “I tried to help you,” He whispered. “I got you out of the slums. I tried to get your grandfather and all your friends out of the slums too. I brought you to court. I thought… that we were friends,” Subaru whispered in anguish.

The girl wasn’t sure what he was talking about. “OK, buddy, you clearly have me confused with somebody else but I’m sure that whatever you’re talking about, it was all a big misunderstanding.”

Subaru shook his head. “Felt, you knew that I loved her. You knew. But you tried to take her away from me. Why? Was I really asking too much? All I wanted was to be left alone…”

The girl bit her lip and finally abandoned searching her bag for something that was clearly not there. “OK, listen buddy, I’m not whoever you think I am but we have much bigger problems right now. You’ve got signs of a recent fever and I’m pretty sure that fever is about to come back. We’ll need to get you some medicine.”

She pulled out some dried herbs out of her backpack. “Luckily, I have the ingredients to cook you some. Just relax, I’ll mix you up something that will make you feel better. Let’s see if I can find a pot to cook in.”

The girl took a nervous look at the door. “Of course, that’s always assuming that this witch isn’t out there looking for a pot big enough to cook both of us right now…”

A few minutes later, Emilia came back to the cottage and found the girl sitting cross-legged by the fire pit, stirring a small pot that hung over the fire.

The girl started as Emilia quietly closed the door. She stood up, holding her right arm awkwardly across her body.

Emilia looked at the girl for a moment then shook her head and dismissed her from mind. Emilia quickly walked to Subaru’s side and sat down on the bed beside him.

“Subaru. Are you alright?” She whispered, brushing his forehead.

Subaru did not respond.

“Um,” The girl muttered.

Emilia turned around.

The girl looked awkward. “Yeah, hi,” The girl said with a half hearted wave. “I think that your friend is sick with a fever so I’m cooking up some medicine. I had a few spare herbs in my pack.”

Emilia frowned. “Are you sure that you know what you’re doing?” She asked.

The girl looked offended. “Uh, yeah! Why? Because I’m so young? For your information, I’ve been studying medicine for half of my entire life!”

She certainly sounds proud of herself but ‘half of her life’ is not an impressive amount of time spent studying.

The girl blinked, suddenly looking worried. “Um. On the other hand, maybe I shouldn’t be sassing the witch in her own cottage,” She mumbled.

Emilia closed her eyes and sighed. “I imagine that I appear ungrateful for your help. If so, then I apologize because nothing could be further from the truth. If you can heal my Subaru then I will be deeply in your debt. I’m afraid that we’ve been… running for a long time now. Friends and enemies are beginning to look all too much alike to me…”

The girl gave Emilia an appraising look. “Yeah, I know what that feels like. You can call me Anri. Um, I know this is probably a rude question but are you really a witch?”

Emilia sighed. “My name is Emilia. Just Emilia. And no, I am not a witch. I’m simply a half-elf with… an unfortunate hair color. I mean you no malice.”

Anri nodded. “Yeah, that makes sense. I’d heard that all silver haired half-elves were witches but how the heck would that work? It’s just a dumb generalization. It’s like saying that all blonds are dumb.”

Emilia chuckled. “Quite right,” Emilia approved. “And I can disprove that theory right now. I know a blond girl named Felt and she is one of the most brilliant people I’ve ever met.”

“Felt? Hey, that’s the person that he was talking about in his sleep,” Anri said gesturing toward Subaru.

“Really?” Emilia said intently. “What did he say?”

“Well, it didn’t make much sense,” Anri admitted. “As far as I could tell, he thought that I was Felt. Do I look like her or something?”

Emilia looked Anri over. “No. Not at all, actually.”

Truthfully, I suppose that’s not completely true. Anri doesn’t look anything like Felt but she does feel a good deal like her. She gives off the impression of a girl forced to grow up too fast and be an adult too soon. A girl who demands the respect due to an adult because she’s been already forced to shoulder an adult’s responsibilities.

Actually, those two might be great friends if they ever met.

Anri shrugged. “Well, I guess he’s too sick to see very clearly right now. What’s your friend’s name anyway?”

“His name is Subaru,” Emilia said with a tired smile. “And he is the man who will one day be my husband.”

“Oh! Congrats!” Anri said as she stirred the medicine. Then Anri paused with a frown. “Subaru. That’s a weird name. I feel like I’ve heard it somewhere before…”

Emilia bit her lip. “We who dwell in the Elior Forest have somewhat unusual names,” Emilia replied quickly. “It’s simply a part of our culture.”

Emilia, you are so stupid! Why would you tell Anri Subaru’s real name?! Have you ever even heard of another Subaru?! Anri is going to leave the forest and immediately figure out who you both are! She could tell absolutely everyone where you’re hiding!

Well, maybe not. Maybe we can convince her to keep our secret…

“Huh. I didn’t even know that anyone lived in this forest at all,” Anri muttered as she pulled a small bag of powder out of her pack and poured it into the pot. “Folks claim that it’s haunted.”

Emilia bowed her head. “There used to be many of us living here but it’s just been me and my father for a very long time now.”

“Oh. That’s really sad,” Anri murmured sympathetically. She put down her stirring spoon and reached into her pack. She pulled out a small baguette.

“Hungry?” Anri asked, tearing off a bite with her teeth.

“Famished,” Emilia admitted. “Subaru and I haven’t had a good meal in days.”

“I know what that feels like!” Anri reached into her bag and pulled out another baguette and tossed it to Emilia.

Emilia caught it and bowed her head. “Thank you so very much.”

Anri chuckled. “Well, you did save me from dying in the storm. And dying to mabeasts. I think that sharing a loaf of bread is the very least I could do.”

“Still, thank you very much,” Emilia said earnestly as she began to devour the bread.

“Were you guys lost in the woods too?”

Emilia nodded. “We were wandering for several days. Subaru got deathly sick after falling into a frozen lake.”

Anri shuddered. “That’s terrible! Why did you go out on a frozen lake?”

Emilia sighed. “We were being chased by a Snow Blight.”

Anri’s eyes became huge. “A Snow Blight? I’ve heard of those monsters. The stories say that one could rip apart a small town all by itself! I’d be terrified if I encountered a demon like that out in the woods! How did you ever escape?”

Emilia found it in her to give Anri half a smile. “Don’t worry. Subaru killed the Snow Blight. It won’t be bothering anyone anymore.”

Anri’s jaw dropped. “What?!”

Emilia shook her head almost in wonder. The terrible Snow Blight that I was so afraid of growing up… Puck and I always stayed far away from it…

Now it’s dead. Subaru and I killed it.

That seems so strange… This monster that I was so terrified of when I was younger and we killed it.

Even lost and hungry, exhausted and scared, when the Snow Blight attacked us, Subaru found a way to kill it. My Subaru can do anything! Emilia felt a surge of pride.

“Your friend… killed the Snow Blight?” Anri asked skeptically.

Emilia smiled. “Yes. We lured it out onto that frozen lake. Then Subaru broke the ice open. The monster drowned. Unfortunately, we also wound up falling in the lake.” She shook her head. “Poor Subaru almost died from the cold.”

Anri just stared at her. “Tricking and killing a Snow Blight, that’s… an impressive achievement, Emilia. Knights would bring a small army to face a Snow Blight and the two of you killed it all alone.”

Emilia sighed. “Subaru always told me that as long as we were together, we can do anything. But he always seems to be the one who ends up paying for it,” She murmured.

She glanced at Subaru’s sleeping form as she finished the bread. “I wonder if I could get him to eat something…”

“I wouldn’t,” Anri warned. “He’s sleeping because his body is saying that it needs sleep. His body will wake him up when he needs food more than sleep. And that bread might be too heavy for him anyway. Maybe we can make him a broth or something…”

Emilia looked at the cabinets dubiously. “I’m not sure what I have to make soup with,” She admitted. “I only have a few vegetables and roots left.”

“What do you mean?”

“We… just got back here last night. We were gone for many months. I don’t have much food left to cook with,” Emilia said.

“Hm,” Anri murmured, finishing her bread. “Sounds like you’re due for a shopping trip.”

“Maybe,” Emilia said.

She makes a point. Going to town might be the best idea… It would let us stock up on provisions. Finding food in the forest was always challenging and now I’m foraging for two without Daddy’s help. Finding enough food to feed us will be very difficult. If we went shopping in one of the local villages then we could stock up on supplies. We could at least buy enough to last us until Subaru is feeling better and we can work together to feed ourselves.

But it also gives us more exposure… If anyone were to recognize us, Reinhard and Felt might hear about it. They would certainly come to investigate and we’d be driven out of our last refuge. If we can’t even hide in the Elior Forest than what’s left? Do we flee over the border into Gusteko?

Well, at least the border isn’t very far away. I actually think that the border cuts through part of the forest but where would we go in Gusteko? What would we do there? I’ve read that most people in Gusteko have a burning hatred of foreigners, much less demi-humans. Where could we possibly go that we would be safe?

Maybe we keep traveling west into Karargi?

“Miss Emilia,” Anri said, startling Emilia out of her reverie. “Do you think you could do me a favor?”

“Of course. And please, it’s just ‘Emilia.’”

Anri pulled some pieces of wood and bandages out of her bag. “Would you mind setting my arm? I need to set it or it won’t heal properly but it’s really hard to set a bone with only one hand.”

“I’m afraid that I don’t know how to do that,” Emilia replied, flushing.

“Oh, don’t worry. I’ll talk you through it.”

Emilia struggled through the process of setting Anri’s bone but Anri was patient and less than an hour later, Anri’s right arm was splinted to her satisfaction and hung in a sling.

“Thanks, Emilia,” Anri said, fussing with her bubbling brew.

“Does it hurt?” Emilia asked from her seat beside Subaru on the bed.

Anri gave her a broad smile. “Well, yeah but it sure feels a lot better than it did before you set it,” Anri replied, pouring the mixture into a cup.

“Is it-?” Emilia asked.

“Yup! It’s all ready!” Anri said, handing her the cup. “You’ll want to hold him upright and give him just a little bit at a time so that he doesn’t choke on it.”

Emilia nodded seriously. She gently lifted Subaru up but his body was limp as a rag doll.

Anri helped tip his head back and Emilia lifted the cup to his lips and began giving him the medicine.

Subaru almost immediately began to cough.

“Slower!” Anri commanded at once. “A few drops at a time!”

Emilia nodded and slowed the flow from the cup to a trickle.

Subaru quieted.

“Anri, tell me, what brought you into the forest?”

“Oh,” Anri chuckled. “That’s a very long, very boring story. Say, Emilia, what do you think about making a shopping trip tomorrow? If you could bring me to one of the local towns I can probably buy some new transportation there and be out of your hair.”

Emilia flushed guiltily. “Oh. Please, don’t misinterpret my distraction as my wishing to be rid of you. I’m just very worried about Subaru.”

“No, I get it. But I’m sure that you love birds want some time alone. What’s the closest town to here anyway? Maybe I could walk there.”

Emilia thought about it as the cup of medicine slowly emptied. “I think that the closest town is Rixum,” She mused.

“Oh yeah. I’ve heard of that place. I should be able to find a ride to where I’m going from there. Is it far?”

“Not too terribly far,” Emilia said after a moment’s thought. “But it did always take me several hours to get there and I probably move much faster than you in the deep snow.”

“Oh. That’s annoying,” Anri replied.

“As far as a shopping trip goes, I don’t feel right leaving Subaru alone until he’s a little better,” Emilia continued.

“Of course! I understand,” Anri said. “But I don’t really think that he’s all that sick. He’s just been out in the cold too much. I think he’ll be much better tomorrow, especially with that medicine I gave him. He might even wake up tonight if he’s hungry.”

Emilia frowned. “He must be feeling very hungry. All that we’ve been able to eat for days is a handful of Juniper berries.”

“Wow. And I thought that I’d been living rough,” Anri muttered uncomfortably. “Yeah, in that case, I’m betting that he’ll probably wake up sometime tonight and be looking for food.”

Emilia stood up and walked over to her cabinets. “What do I have left?” She said to herself as she opened the cabinets and began to pull out some dried herbs and vegetables.

“Just try to keep it light,” Anri cautioned her. “Maybe a broth would be good. A stew is about as heavy as I’d try tonight.”

“A stew,” Emilia murmured, deep in thought. “Yes. I could make Mother Fortuna’s stew!”

Anri craned her neck to look into Emilia’s cabinets. “Um. Hey, this may be none of my business, Emilia, but it looks to me like your cupboard is pretty bare.”

“Yes, it often is,” Emilia agreed with a sigh. “I won’t have much to work with tonight…”

“So maybe in the morning we should talk to your friend about making a shopping trip?”

“Of course,” Emilia agreed, closing the cabinets. “Once Subaru is out of bed and feeling better, I’m certain that he’ll be glad to discuss it. Subaru even found a riding dragon in the forest today. I… still don’t understand how he managed to do that but it could make our trip to a town much easier.”

“Better and better!” Anri approved.

“Where exactly are you trying to get to, Anri?” Emilia asked.

Anri rolled her eyes with a broad smile. “Man. It feels like I’ve been on the road forever! But I don’t have much farther to go at least. Oh and hey, Emilia, I don’t want to sound entitled or anything but is there anywhere around here that I could sleep tonight? Nothing personal but I don’t know you guys all that well so I’d really rather not sleep with your man.”

Emilia gave her an amused look. “You don’t have to worry about that, Anri. Such an invitation would not be forthcoming.”

Anri laughed. “OK! Nice to be on the same page! I’ve been sleeping on the ground lately anyway but I lost all my bed rolls in the forest. Is there any way that we could go back and try to pick them up?”

Emilia looked off in the distance, deep in thought. “We might be able to recover some of your possessions for you in the morning,” She mused. “But for tonight, I think the easiest solution would be for you to sleep in Arche’s house.”

“Do you think that he’ll be OK with it?” Anri asked.

Emilia smiled at Anri sadly. “He’s… not around… right now.”

Anri’s smile flickered. “Oh. Well, I’m really grateful for your hospitality.”

Emilia nodded. “Not at all. I’ll show you where you can sleep tonight. Do you want any of the stew that I’m going to cook?”

“Oh, thank you, Emilia, but no thanks. I’ll be fine for tonight. I just really need some sleep.”

Emilia nodded and walked to the door followed by Anri. “Arche’s house isn’t far. It’s basically just across the way. Let’s bring some wood for a fire as well. The cottage will be cold.”

They left and Emilia shut the door behind her.

When Subaru woke up, he was back in the bed in the cottage. He was nice and cozy but every muscle in his body ached and he had a bad headache. His stomach was growling audibly but at least his head felt clear.

Subaru might have tried to climb out of bed but before he could, the door opened and Emilia walked back inside.

“Mili?” Subaru said in a croak.

“Subaru!” Emilia raced to his side. “Are you alright?!”

“Um,” Subaru rotated his stiff neck and moved his arms and legs a little. “Yeah, I think so. Just a little stiff.”

Subaru looked up at the clearly exhausted Emilia who was hovering anxiously over him. Subaru coughed. “Hey, Emilia, not to pry or anything but where the hell are we?”

Emilia looked at him strangely. “You… don’t remember?”

“Um, no, I guess not.”

Emilia looked away, “This is… my house…”

“What?” Subaru asked in confusion.

Emilia turned to face him, “We’re not in Gusteko, Subaru. This is the Elior forest.”

Subaru stared at her. “Wait. What?!”

“This is the Elior Forest, Subaru. Beatrice must have sent us into the far northwestern end of the forest where I almost never went because of all the mabeasts. I didn’t recognize any of the landmarks while we were up there. I’m sorry, Subaru,” She said.

“Emilia… that’s crazy! Elior isn’t all that far north of the capitol! How could we have been caught in a blizzard, it’s almost summer time!”

Emilia hung her head in shame. “It’s my curse,” She murmured. “I cursed this forest with a spell of endless winter…”

“Oh. Right,” Subaru said awkwardly. “I guess I never appreciated what that really meant…”

Emilia bowed her head in silence.

Subaru looked around. “So, this is your house?” He asked, trying to move the conversation past an awkward point. “It’s nice!”

On a shelf next to the bed, Subaru saw a small cushion about the size of a shoe box. A smaller cushion like a pillow had been sewn on one end. It was crude but it clearly had been designed to mimic a normal bed.

“Emilia,” Subaru said with a smile. “Was that Puck’s bed?” He asked.

Emilia looked where Subaru was pointing and smiled ruefully. “Well, it was supposed to be. I made that bed for Puck right after he thawed me out of the ice! I spent weeks learning how to sew so that I could surprise him with it.” She suddenly laughed. “He never even used it!”

“Damn. That’s harsh,” Subaru sympathized.

Emilia shrugged. “Puck always preferred to sleep in the crystal.”

“So, Emilia, what happened? How did we get here? The last thing I remember was fighting the Snow Beast-”

“Snow Blight,” She corrected.

“Whatever. Can I get the whole story?” He asked plaintively.

Emilia gave a weary chuckle. “After we fought the Snow Blight, you fell into the frozen lake.”

“Hey, that was not my fault,” Subaru pointed out.

“You were… freezing to death,” Emilia remembered with a pensive expression. “I ran through the forest desperately trying to find help.” She shook her head, “While I was running down a forest path I recognized a familiar grove of trees and realized that we weren’t far from home. I brought you here as fast as I could. As chance would have it, I still had some firewood lying around.”

“Lucky you recognized the place or we might be still lost in that storm,” Subaru said glancing out a window where the wind was flinging huge amounts of snow everywhere.

“Subaru, don’t even joke about that!” Emilia said sharply, “That whole experience was terrifying! Your skin felt like ice. If we’d been out in the storm for even another fifteen minutes, I think…”

“Well, we’re here now and nice and toasty,” Subaru changed the subject. “And at least for the moment, I think that we’re safe. Reinhard and the Cult aren’t likely to guess that we’re hiding in the forest any time soon.”

Emilia sighed.

Subaru thought for a moment. “Emilia, what was up with that note you left me?”

Emilia started. “Yes, the note,” She whispered. She paused for a moment and then shook her head. “Subaru, I saw that note but… I didn’t write it!”

Subaru blinked. “What?”

“I didn’t write that note!” She repeated. “My note told you that I’d gone out to get firewood and that you should stay in bed. I have no idea what happened to that note.”

“Wait. Then who wrote the note I found?”

“I don’t know!”

The pair looked at each other helplessly.

Subaru glanced thoughtfully at the empty table. “Emilia, where did you move that note to?”

“I didn’t move it anywhere,” Emilia replied, lost in thought.

“Then where is it?”

Emilia looked at the table and started. “Wait! Where did it go?!”

Subaru rubbed his forehead. “OK! That makes even less sense! Why would anyone come back here and take the note after we’d both read it? What was the point?”

“I don’t know,” Emilia said in a small voice.

Subaru sighed. “Yeah. Me neither.”

Emilia took a deep breath then let it out slowly. “Alright, Subaru, it’s your turn now. What happened when you woke up?”

Subaru shrugged. “Well, there’s not much to tell. I woke up and I saw a note on the table that said you were in danger so I rushed out of the cottage and tried to follow your tracks.”

Emilia flinched.

Oh God. Only Emilia could look so guilty about a note that she didn’t write.

Emilia blinked. “My tracks? Subaru, you saw tracks outside when you woke up?”

“Yeah. I followed your tracks toward the river,” He answered.

Emilia frowned and seemed lost in thought. “Subaru, think carefully. Did you see any other sets of tracks when you left the cottage?”

He shook his head. “Nope. Just yours. Why?”

Emilia didn’t answer right away. “I didn’t go toward the river, Subaru. I was going toward the old storage shed, the other way.”

Subaru looked confused. “I was following your tracks, Mili.”

She shook her head. “No, you weren’t, Subaru. Those weren’t my tracks,” She said in a worried tone.

“They were the only set of tracks out there, Mili!” Subaru insisted. “I didn’t see any other tracks and, believe me, I looked carefully!”

“I do believe you, Subaru!” Emilia said earnestly. “When I got back from the storage shed, your tracks were gone too.”

“What do you mean, ‘gone?’”

“Gone! The only tracks outside the cottage when I came home were mine. After I found the fake note, I was frantically trying to find your trail but it was all clean, virgin snow. Your tracks and my tracks from this morning were both gone. For a minute, I wondered if you’d learned how to fly!”

Subaru gave a weary chuckle. “Oh, I wish. If I could have flown over all that snow, my muscles wouldn’t be so sore right now!” Subaru thought for a moment and frowned. “Wait. Then how did you find me? The last thing I remember… Actually I’m not sure what the last thing I remember is. It kind of drifts into this weird dream where I find a riding dragon.”

Emilia chuckled. “That wasn’t a dream, Subaru.”

“Huh?”

“First of all, Subaru, I didn’t find you, you found me! You came riding up to me and Anri on a black riding dragon! I couldn’t believe it! Where did you find a dragon in the forest?!”

Subaru stared at her in disbelief. “Wait a second, who’s Anri?”

“Oh, right. She’s a girl that I rescued from some mabeasts while I was looking for you,” Emilia said calmly.

“Mabeasts?!” Subaru shouted.

“It’s fine, Subaru,” Emilia soothed. “These were some of the same mabeasts that you dealt with yesterday. You told them not to hurt me and they obeyed. They let me just walk away with Anri.”

Subaru just stared at her for a long moment and then closed his eyes with a sigh. “Mili, please try to be a little more careful,” He moaned.

Emilia snorted. “You should talk! Just mounting a riding dragon that you bumped into in the forest? Subaru, I know that a riding dragon could be very useful but was that really wise? Earth dragons can be very aggressive with strangers.”

“Yeah well, this dragon wasn’t exactly a stranger,” Subaru replied.

“What do you mean?”

“Emilia, that dragon was… is my riding dragon! The one that brought me and Beatrice to the Sanctuary!”

“What?! How is that even possible? What is she doing here?”

Subaru snorted. “How would I know?!”

“Subaru, how did she find us?” Emilia asked.

Subaru shrugged helplessly. “Emilia, your guess is as good as mine!”

“How did she even escape the Sanctuary before it was destroyed?”

Subaru froze. “Wait a second. Garf told me that he thought he saw my dragon being ridden out of the Sanctuary after the barrier went down…”

“By whom?”

“I don’t know. Garf claimed that the rider looked just like Ryuzu.”

“I thought that Ryuzu was with you during the fight with Roy?”

“Yeah. Garf couldn’t explain it either. He just said that he saw someone who looked like Ryuzu riding my dragon out of the Sanctuary.”

Emilia shook her head looking pained. “Subaru, so much of what happened tonight does not make sense.”

“I know,” Subaru agreed. “But I think we’ll have to figure it out tomorrow.” He frowned. “Hey, Mili, I just remembered something. Does the forest get a lot of lightning storms?”

Emilia shook her head. “No. Never! I saw the lightning too but it wasn’t normal lightning. It jumped up from the hills instead of falling from the sky.”

Subaru made a face. “Mili, do you remember where you saw the lightning come from?”

“I think so. Why?”

“I think maybe we should check out that hill in the morning.”

“I’m not so sure about that, Subaru,” She said dubiously. “What if something dangerous is in the forest?”

“Exactly,” Subaru replied. “If there’s something dangerous around here, I’d like to know about it before it comes looking for us.”

Emilia frowned. “I always thought that the Snow Blight was the most dangerous thing in the forest. I can’t think of anything that could throw lightning around.”

Subaru nodded. “Well, we should take the riding dragon and check the area out in the morning. Maybe we can learn something about all this.”

“Maybe Anri would have an idea,” Emilia suggested.

“What do you mean?”

Emilia shrugged. “She might have seen something while she was out in the forest.”

Subaru frowned. “Mili, do you think she could have written the note?”

Emilia screwed her face up. “Maybe… but I really don’t think so, Subaru. She was trapped in a tree by mabeasts and looked like she’d been up there for some time.”

Subaru sighed. “I guess that answer would have been too easy.”

“Subaru, what I don’t understand is, why would someone leave you a note in the first place? Why did someone want to lure you out of the cottage so badly?”

Subaru shook his head. “I don’t know. I can’t figure it out. What was the point of luring me out of the cottage? If they wanted to kill me, they couldn’t have asked for a better opportunity. And if they wanted to talk to me, they could have just shaken me awake. I’m not all that heavy a sleeper. None of this makes sense.”

The pair both stared at one another with worried expressions.

“Mili, why was Anri in the forest anyway?” Subaru asked finally.

Emilia paused. “Um. I’m not sure, Subaru. She didn’t say.”

Subaru nodded with a sigh. “Well, I guess that’s another question we’ll need to ask in the morning. Where is she right now?”

“I left her in Arche’s house,” Emilia replied.

Subaru smiled at her sadly. “I guess there were a lot of empty houses in the village to choose from.”

Emilia bowed her head with a sigh. Then she shook off that pensive thought and took a deep breath. “Also, Subaru, Anri was asking if she thought we could bring her to town tomorrow.”

“For what?”

“So that she can leave,” Emilia shrugged. “It’s actually not a bad idea. We need supplies anyway. I don’t have very much food stored here.”

Subaru made a face. “I guess that’s the reality we need to deal with but I hate to risk exposing our location so soon.” Subaru scratched his chin. “The Gusteko border runs through the forest, right?”

“I think so.”

“Maybe we should do our shopping on the other side of the border. Just in case.”

Emilia frowned thoughtfully. “Maybe,” She muttered. “I don’t know the towns past the northern edge of the forest very well. I almost never went up that way because of all the mabeasts. That’s why I didn’t recognize the part of the forest that we were wandering in. The Snow Blight in particular was very aggressive.”

“Yeah, I think I saw that side of him,” Subaru deadpanned.

Emilia laughed.

Subaru thought for a moment. “Mili, where did you leave the dragon?”

“There’s an old stable in the village that’s still sound. I left her in there. She seemed comfortable enough and I found some food in her saddlebags for her.”

“Nice,” Subaru approved.

“By the way, Subaru, what are you going to call the dragon?”

“Call her?” Subaru said in surprise. He thought about it. “Good point. She’ll need a name, won’t she? I guess I’ll have to think about that.”

Emilia sighed, rubbing her face.

Poor Mili. She looks absolutely exhausted. She not only walked as far as I have but she spent at least another full day taking care of me.

Subaru frowned. “I guess we need to make some plans before we do anything. We’ve been running off half-cocked ever since we left the Sanctuary. It really hasn’t done us much good,” He sighed.

Emilia sat down on the bed and stared into the fire, “But what will we do now? We’ve lost any chance of healing the forest, I’m an enemy of the kingdom, and we’ve even lost the spirits.”

He took a deep breath. “We are going to get Puck and Beatrice back,” Subaru said firmly.

“How?”

“I haven’t thought ahead that far but I am going to get them back and I don’t care what it takes!”

Emilia looked at him dubiously.

Subaru shook off his own malaise. He couldn’t let the loss of Beatrice drag him down or he really would be unable to do anything, “Anyway, for us this worked out better than we ever could have hoped.”

“What do you mean?”

“We’ve thrown off all our pursuit, both the Witch Cult and our friends and you know this area really well. You told me how nobody ever comes into the forest. This is a perfect place for us to get back on our feet and figure out how to break this curse.”

“But the dragon blood is gone,” Emilia murmured in despair, “There’s no way to break the curse on the forest now.”

Subaru winced, “I meant breaking the curse on you, Mili,” He said gently, “Once we finish that, we can regroup and focus on saving the forest.”

“Do you really think that we can?” Emilia asked in a faint voice.

“Of course, we can,” Subaru assured her, “We will! You’re not ready to give up now, are you?”

Emilia just stared at him with dead eyes.

Poor Mili, she’s exhausted. So am I honestly. I know that I slept at some point today since I just woke up but I definitely don’t feel like I did. I can’t remember the last time I got a good night’s sleep.

Mili must be even more worn out.

“You should try to get some sleep, Mili. You need a break.”

Emilia gave a long, deep sigh and then forcibly put a bright smile on her face. “I’m fine, Subaru. You just rest here while I finish making dinner!”

Subaru lay in the bed, watching Emilia work in the kitchen. “Are you sure I can’t help you?” He asked plaintively. “Have you been talking to Beako? I’m really not all that bad a cook!”

“Subaru! Sit!” Emilia directed while she fussed with the pot over the fire. “The stew is almost ready.”

Subaru tried to suppress his laughter. Emilia had been absolutely resolute that she would make dinner for him tonight.

However, food preparation does not seem to be one of Emilia’s talents. That pot has already boiled over twice. Emilia seems to be less ‘cooking’ the stew than trying to wrestle it into submission.

“Is this a favorite of yours?” Subaru asked.

“Mother Fortuna used to make this stew all the time and I want you to try it. She made it from whatever vegetables and meat she had lying around that needed to be used before they went bad. She said that the challenge of trying to use a random assortment of ingredients to produce something tasty was what made cooking this stew fun. She was a wonderful cook but this is my first time trying to do it.”

“Sounds delicious!” Subaru said, trying to keep the trepidation out of his voice. The stew had apparently congealed to the point where Emilia was having to chop portions out of the pot with her serving spoon.

“I’m sorry that it’s so cold in here now,” Emilia apologized, “But I really needed to open that window to let out all the smoke from the stew.”

“Oh. No worries, Mili. It’s still warmer than it was outside.”

Subaru suddenly choked and burst into a huge coughing fit. He hacked and coughed until his face was nearly blue and all he could do was lay back on the bed panting for breath.

“Subaru! Are you alright?!” Emilia asked, rushing to his side.

Subaru coughed up another sticky, tar-like glob that tasted like old rubber and laboriously swallowed it so that Emilia wouldn’t see.

“Oh, I’m fine, Mili!” He said in a hoarse voice. “Just got a little cold!”

Emilia looked skeptical but the pot began to boil over again and Emilia raced back to attend to the stew.

As Subaru sat there catching his breath, a few crystals gleaming wetly on the table caught Subaru’s eye. “Hey, Emilia, what are these?”

Emilia looked up from where she was fussing with dinner. “Oh, those are pyroxene crystals. I’d dug them up just before I left the forest with Roswaal so I never had a chance to sell them. They sold pretty well in Rixum back when Puck and I lived here. I stumbled over those crystals while I was pulling things out for dinner so I washed them off. Maybe we can sell them and make a little extra money.”

Subaru frowned thoughtfully at the crystals. “Aren’t these the same kind of crystals that we used in my engine?”

“Well,” Emilia said slowly. “They’re not quite the same but they’re pretty similar.”

Subaru stretched his arm toward the table and managed to grab one of the crystals. He almost fell out of bed and needed to grab the headboard to stabilize himself. He looked guiltily at Emilia but she hadn’t noticed.

Subaru studied the stone. It was much smaller than the crystal they’d used for the engine and it reminded Subaru more of quartz than a gem.

“Emilia,” Subaru mused. “Do you know how to charge one of these crystals?”

“I do. But why do you need a crystal charged?” Emilia asked, as she struggled to scoop servings out of the pot and into smaller bowls.

“I’m just thinking about an idea,” Subaru replied thoughtfully. “So how do you charge it?”

“Well, you just sort of… do it,” Emilia shrugged.

Subaru sighed. “Mili, you remember that I’m new to this planet, right? I need a little more detail than that.”

I wonder if someday Emilia, Beatrice, and Puck will tell me that they all agreed to explain things to me in riddles just because they love watching me struggle.

“Well,” Emilia said thoughtfully. “I guess you hold it in your hand and then you imagine your own energy flowing into the crystal.”

OK. Sounds simple enough. If my mana comes from the Authority then maybe this is another way to practice working with the Authority? I mean, it might not help but I don’t see how it could hurt, right? Besides, it would be nice to be able to charge these things myself without bugging Emilia or the spirits next time I’m working on something.

Subaru closed his eyes and clenched his fist around the crystal. He imagined energy flowing into it. His mind produced an image of purple streams of lights flowing from his heart, down his arm, and into the tiny crystal.

The sound of Emilia’s stirring stopped.

“Subaru,” Emilia said in a worried tone. “What are you doing?”

Subaru opened his eyes and saw Emilia staring at him, concern writ large on her face. “I just thought I’d try charging a crystal, like you said,” He shrugged.

Emilia bit her lip, looking at the stone in Subaru’s hand.

“Emilia, what is it?”

Emilia shook her head. “Can’t you feel it?”

Subaru blinked. “Um. Feel what?”

“That stone is wrong.”

“Huh?”

Emilia picked up another crystal. She wrapped her hands around it and closed her eyes for a few moments. Then she handed the crystal to Subaru.

Subaru held a stone in each hand. Now that he had something to compare it to, he immediately understood what Emilia was talking about.

This is strange. I’ve never been able to feel mana before. Now I’m suddenly wondering how I ever could have missed it. That by itself is pretty cool but now I also understand what was bothering Emilia.

Emilia’s crystal reminds me of a placid river. The water is flowing along its natural course. There’s a sense of stability and peace, of the magic in the crystal doing what it’s meant to do.

My crystal feels different. Like a boiling kettle with the top bolted on. I mean… I’ve never held dynamite or nitroglycerin but somehow it reminds me of them. It doesn’t even seem related to the amount of energy I added, it feels like the crystal isn’t designed to hold my ‘kind’ of magic and it can barely contain it. Emilia’s crystal is cradling the magic in the same way as the land embraces a river. My crystal feels more like someone took a flame and tried to hide it inside an envelope. Or like someone decided to store a few tons of baking soda at the bottom of a swimming pool.

“Well, I don’t know what that means,” Subaru murmured. “Do you think that I charged it wrong?” Subaru asked, holding out his stone to Emilia.

She made no move to touch it. “I don’t even know what it would mean to charge a stone wrong,” Emilia admitted. “Well, I suppose I do now. You just demonstrated.”

“Harsh,” Subaru complained, scratching his chin. He thought for a moment. “Didn’t Beako once tell me that my mana was the opposite of normal mana?”

Subaru closed his eyes, deep in thought. If my mana is unnatural, I wonder how the spirits are able to feed off of it…

“I remember her saying that but I don’t know what it means,” Emilia replied, startling Subaru out of his musings. “For a moment, Subaru, you were suffused with mana and that mana was… very scary. You were very scary.”

“What do you mean?”

“…You felt like a mabeast.”

Subaru blinked. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?!”

Emilia looked frustrated as she struggled to find the right words. “It was like… some sixth sense or instinct starting screaming at me. I just suddenly knew that right behind me was something very dangerous. Something that could easily kill me.”

Subaru’s jaw dropped.

Emilia looked down at him pensively. “Subaru. I want you to stop using your Authority so much. The spirits were worried about it damaging you and now I can see why. The mana that it fills you with is unnatural and the Authority seems to be giving you more and more mana all the time.”

Subaru wasn’t sure what to say.

Emilia shook her head. “Just rest, Subaru. Dinner is almost ready.”

Subaru watched Emilia struggle to put the ‘stew’ into a bowl and fought hard to keep a neutral expression on his face.

“So what is this called?” He asked as Emilia brought two bowls of ‘stew’ that looked more like an overcooked casserole to Subaru and sat down on the bed beside him.

Emilia chuckled. “Mother Fortuna called it ‘My Emilia’s Stew.’”

“Oh! Then I know I’ll love it. Mother Fortuna and I must have had a lot in common.”

Emilia giggled then shook off her amusement. “Subaru, eat!” She directed, poking him in the side. “You’ve haven’t eaten anything in two days!”

“Yes, Mili,” Subaru murmured, trying to chop a mouthful of ‘stew’ out of the bowl.

Subaru held it out in his spoon and inspected it. He couldn’t for the life of him figure out what he was about to eat but he opened wide and put it in his mouth.

Yup, this tastes awful!

“This is great, Emilia,” Subaru praised her.

“Subaru, you shouldn’t tell fibs,” She said primly, making a face at the taste of her own stew.

“It’s not a fib!” He protested, “You made it for me with love and it’s your love that I’m tasting!” He forced himself to keep eating.

Emilia took another bite and visibly shuddered, “I really thought that my ‘love’ would taste better than this!”

“Don’t worry, my cooking won’t taste any better,” Subaru laughed. “We’re both terrible homemakers but we can still still make a home for ourselves. We’ll do it together.”

Emilia looked at him and her eyes were somewhat watery.

“Nothing in our lives will ever be easy, Emilia,” Subaru said, continuing to choke down his stew, “But as long as we’re together, we can make it work.”

Emilia took another bite and shook her head, “I always knew that our lives together would be difficult but I never realized that dinner would be so challenging.”

Subaru actually laughed as he finished his bowl.

The room swam around him but he managed to keep it down.

“That was delicious, Emilia. Thank you for making it for me.” Subaru took a deep breath and summoned up all of his courage. “Is there any more?”

“Subaru,” Emilia said in a skeptical voice, her face slightly green.

Subaru took her hand. “You did something for me. I’m always grateful for that.”

Emilia gave him a sad smile as she brought the empty bowls over to the sink.

Subaru yawned. “I know that it’s still not that late but it’s been a pretty hectic couple of days. What do you say about turning in early tonight?”

Emilia nodded. “I think… maybe that’s a good idea.” She said as she quickly rinsed out the bowls and the pot. “I have something to do before bed, though. Stay here and try to get some sleep,” Emilia said, drying the dishes.

“Wait, what are you going to do?” Subaru asked, frowning.

“We’re almost out of firewood, Subaru,” Emilia said, pulling on her hooded robe over her dress and heading toward the door. “We only have enough wood to burn for a few days. I’m going out to find some more. I’ll be back in an hour or two.”

“In this storm?!” Subaru demanded.

“I grew up here, Subaru. I’ll be fine.”

“Mili, even if you do find any wood out there, buried in the snow, it’s going to be too wet to burn!” Subaru pointed out.

Emilia opened the door. “I need to find firewood anyway. We need to start drying it out.”

“The wood will take months to dry! We can go hunting for it tomorrow and accomplish just as much. Don’t go hunting for firewood in the storm, Mili! There’s no point!”

“Subaru, we need to keep you warm,” Emilia protested.

“We’re both exhausted, Mili. Just let the fire die and we’ll cuddle up in bed together and we can keep each other warm.”

Emilia thought about it for a moment then nodded and shut the door.

Emilia waved her hand over the fire and the flames flickered and dimmed to cinders. The room was dark except for the faint moonlight streaming through the windows.

Emilia started taking her clothes off.

Subaru moved over in the small bed to make room for her.

Emilia climbed into bed beside him. “Sorry that the bed is so small,” Emilia murmured.

“It’s fine,” Subaru said, wrapping his arms around her and pressing his face into her soft hair. “If nothing else, it will help us to stay warm tonight.”

Emilia made a small sound of contentment. “Subaru, how many days has it been since we last slept in a bed?”

“At least a week,” Subaru replied. “Honestly, I sort of lost track. Come to think of it, this is the first night that we’ve been alone together since… well, you know,” Subaru blushed.

“Hm,” Emilia smiled, snuggling up against him. “I must admit, it’s very nice having just the two of us alone in the bed.”

“Yeah,” Subaru agreed, “I almost feel disloyal saying that, since I know that Beako and Puck are all alone right now, even knowing that Felt is watching them. But it’s nice to have a little time for ourselves. We might as well enjoy it, once we get the spirits back and go looking for the cure to your curse, we probably won’t have much more time alone for a while.”

Emilia stiffened.

“Mili?” He murmured. “Are you OK?”

She took a deep breath but didn’t look at him. “Subaru. I… I need to say something but… I’m afraid to. I’m afraid that… you’re going to be disappointed in me. You might even be angry.”

Subaru nodded and held her closer. “OK, well why don’t you tell me what’s on your mind and I’ll do my very best not to get angry.”

Emilia took a deep breath and let it out as she slowly rolled over to face him. “Subaru. I’ve been thinking. We don’t know any way of ending the curse on the forest or ending the curse on me personally. We don’t even know if either is possible.”

She paused, looking at him expectantly.

Subaru nodded slowly. “We don’t know for sure but I have strong reason to think that it’s possible.”

“But we don’t know any way to actually do it or even any way to find out how to do it,” Emilia said quietly.

Subaru nodded. “I guess that’s true. What are you suggesting?”

“Subaru,” Emilia closed her eyes, “I never wanted to be King. I would never have been happy in that life. The only reason I ever left the forest in the first place was because Roswaal found me and convinced me that the dragon blood could save the elves. The outside world has done nothing but hurt me. They see my hair and my ears and they call me a witch. This time all of our friends have abandoned us. The outside world has even taken Daddy away! The outside world would even take you away if it could. Why would I ever want to leave the forest again?”

Her tone was harsh and bitter, the sound of someone whose heart has been deeply wounded and who wishes to injure her listeners in turn.

Subaru held her close. He felt all the hurt in her words and was quiet for a long moment, giving her a chance to feel it, to let the venom start to work its way out of her wounded heart.

“Well, maybe we should consider another plan,” Subaru whispered, stroking her cheek, “Do you have any ideas?”

Emilia looked up at Subaru with wide eyes. She looked so young, so vulnerable, “Subaru, why don’t we just stay here?”

“What do you think we would do?” Subaru asked calmly.

“We could have a life together,” Emilia said earnestly, “Just a life! That’s all that I want, Subaru. This cottage isn’t like Roswaal’s mansion but… it could easily be home. We could make it home. There’s food in the forest and things that we could trade with the merchants in the neighboring villages. Trading with humans would be even easier than it was before because you could go into town safely as long as I never went with you. No one ever comes into the forest. We’d be safe here. After a while, both the Sin Archbishops and the kingdom would get tired of looking for us and we’d be free. There’s a town not far away where you could find a job if you don’t want to work in the forest and I could go back to digging crystals out of the ground to trade. We could fix up the cottage and make it snug and warm. A perfect haven just for the two of us; a paradise,” Emilia whispered.

Subaru rubbed Emilia’s back, wordlessly urging her to continue.

Emilia closed her eyes and laid her head against Subaru’s chest. “Subaru, I want to have a family. I want to have a little one of my own to cherish forever. We’d have to wait a while before we were sure it was safe but we could start our family together. We could share a child, born from our love. I can just imagine them running around the forest. I know that I can’t heal the forest anymore but… it could still be home. I did the best I could to save the elves and it just wasn’t enough. I don’t have to feel guilty anymore.”

Emilia took a ragged breath and the painful, despairing words just poured out of her, “Subaru, we can start over, just the two of us. We can have a quiet life where our only goal is to be happy. Don’t we deserve that? Why were we the ones chosen to fix all the world’s problems? This world is too big for us to move. It won’t change just because we say so. But we could make this cottage anything we wanted it to be. It could be our own little world. Just us and our family. Isn’t that enough?” Emilia almost begged.

Subaru stroked Emilia’s cheek gently, “You are enough for me. Always have been. The only reason I even tried to win the throne was to help you. If this is what you want then I’m all for it. We can stay right here. We never have to leave. We’ll make do. As long as we’re together.”

“Subaru… do you really mean that?” Emilia asked with watery eyes.

“Of course I do,” Subaru replied calmly. “You are what matters to me. You are all that I need. I just want you to tell me what you want and I will make it happen.”

“I just want to stay here, Subaru,” Emilia blubbered, tears falling down her cheeks, “The world has taken so much from us already. You’re all that I have left and I couldn’t bear to lose you too! Let’s just hold onto what we have. It’s my dream to stay here forever with you!”

Subaru nodded, drawing her head to his shoulder and stroking her hair. “Then that’s what we’ll do. I am one hundred percent on board with this. With one correction.”

“What’s that?” She whispered.

Subaru took a deep breath. “Emilia… I won’t abandon Beatrice. I can’t. I made her a promise and I mean to keep it. I think that us vanishing into the woods forever is a fine strategy but… it’s going to be after I’ve rescued Beatrice and Puck. Then we can disappear and the world can forget about us.”

Emilia was silent and pulled away from Subaru.

“Mili?”

“Subaru,” She whispered. “Are you… sure that we should even try to get the spirits back?”

Subaru frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Being with me… I’d only put them in danger,” She murmured, looking away from him with tears in her eyes. “They could even get hurt if someone came looking to kill me because they thought that I was a witch.”

Subaru blinked. “But Emilia, don’t you miss Puck?”

Emilia’s face twisted in despair. “No, Subaru! I miss my Daddy! Puck is your Daddy now! He hates me! He disowned me! He threatened to kill me! Why would I ever want him back?!”

Emilia buried her face in the pillow, crying great wrenching sobs.

Subaru quickly began to rub her back.

“I’m such a bad person!” She blubbered. “I’m so ashamed! I don’t even want to rescue my own father!”

“You’re not a bad person,” Subaru soothed. “You’re a person who’s in an awful lot of pain. Puck treated you horribly. Of course you’re angry with him. Who wouldn’t be?”

“But it isn’t his fault,” Emilia whimpered into the pillow.

“Yeah it is!” Subaru disagreed. “He couldn’t stop himself from losing his memories but he absolutely could have decided to treat you fairly! Unfortunately ‘fair’ is not a word in Puck’s vocabulary.”

Emilia rolled over to look up at Subaru, wiping her eyes. “What do you mean?”

Subaru considered his answer for a moment. “Mili, I’ve been on both sides of the fence with Puck. I’ve had him despise me, I’ve had him tolerate me, and I’ve had him adore me. The first thing I can tell you is that Puck is fundamentally unfair. As far as he’s concerned, the people he loves can do no wrong and the rest of the people in the world are either annoying irritants or things that should be destroyed. He doesn’t apply even close to the same standard to the people he cares about compared to the people he doesn’t. You told me that he blamed you for putting me and Beatrice in danger, right?”

Emilia nodded.

“Well, how come he never said a word to me about dragging us all over northern Lagunica with an army chasing us? I didn’t have a single plan for where we were going or what we were doing that actually worked out! I almost got us killed by a stormcrow! I turned us into bait for Capella! He never made a peep! Why? Because that’s how Puck rolls. He blames everything that goes wrong on the people that he doesn’t like and the people that he loves get all the credit!”

Emilia frowned. “Subaru, I think that you’re exaggerating.”

“I’m not! Believe me, I’m not! Do you have any idea how many times Puck threatened to kill me when we first met? It was a lot! And it is ten times worse for you because you love him. I didn’t give a shit about him back then so I didn’t care if he threatened me.”

Subaru sighed and wrapped his arms around Emilia. She laid her head against his chest. “Mili, tell me the truth. Even if we stayed here and everything worked out and we had a family… wouldn’t you always feel like there’s a hole in your heart where Puck should be?”

Emilia hesitated then nodded sadly.

Subaru laid his cheek against her hair. “We’re going to get them both back. And then we’re going to disappear into the forest. Puck won’t have any issues with you as long as we’re all safe. If we can’t fix Puck’s memories then… he’ll still learn to love you again. He’ll love you for my sake. The same way he learned to love me because you loved me. It’s the long way around but I promise you that we’re going to be a real family again.”

Subaru paused. “Besides,” He chuckled, “Getting the spirits back means that we’ll always have two babysitters hanging around to look after our little Emilia!”

“Elaine,” Emilia whispered.

“What?”

“If we ever have a daughter, Subaru, her name is going to be Elaine,” Emilia said firmly.

“Um. OK, I guess. Is that like the name of an old friend of yours or something?” Subaru said, looking puzzled. “What if we have a boy?”

“Perseus,” She answered with a smile.

“What?! Emilia, where did you even hear that name?”

Emilia giggled. “I’ll tell you someday.”

Subaru looked annoyed. “Seriously?” Subaru grumbled. “You’re really not going to tell me?”

Emilia giggled. Then she grew serious again. “Subaru! It’s time to get some sleep! You need to rest!”

Subaru nodded with a yawn. “Oh yeah, I’m ready to sleep. Every muscle in my body is screaming like an abscessed tooth. But I have sorely missed my ‘Emilia snuggles’ over the past few weeks.”

Subaru wrapped himself around Emilia and pressed his face into her hair. “Home,” He whispered.

“What?” She asked.

“I just… I just like the word,” Subaru admitted. “After we find the spirits, this could be our place, our own little shelter against the world.”

“It’s such a beautiful thought,” Emilia agreed.

“It is. Although truthfully, I think maybe we should search the village for someplace bigger.”

“What do you mean?”

Subaru chuckled. “Emilia, you have a great little cottage here but it’s barely large enough for two people. Now pack two spirits into it and maybe a baby? We’ll all be on top of each other. We need to find a bigger place. It shouldn’t be too hard. I saw lots of larger houses in the village.”

Emilia was silent.

“Mili? Did I say something wrong?”

“No. It’s nothing that you said,” Emilia said quietly. “I know that you’re right it’s just… I deliberately picked a house that was empty at the time of the… incident. Moving into someone’s house just seemed… disrespectful. It felt like… giving up on breaking the curse. It meant acting like they were never coming back.”

Subaru nodded. “I guess I can see that. And I promise you, I haven’t given up on breaking the curse. I promised you we’d do it and I mean to keep my promise. Maybe we can find another house that’s empty.”

Emilia was silent for a long time.

“Mili? Something bothering you?”

She took a deep breath. “There’s always Mother Fortuna’s house.”

Subaru blinked. “Wait. Isn’t this Fortuna’s house? I thought you said that it was yours.”

“It is mine, Subaru. But Mother Fortuna never lived here.”

“So this was just an empty cottage you moved into after the accident? After Puck thawed you out, why not just move back into your room at Fortuna’s?”

“Oh no, I never actually had a room with Mother Fortuna. I lived somewhere else when I was younger. I lived in a little building in the village that they called the ‘Princess Tower.’ I spent most of my time in Mother Fortuna’s house but I didn’t live with her.”

Subaru frowned. “I’m still a little surprised that you didn’t move into her house after the accident then. Wouldn’t that have been the most natural thing for you to do?”

Emilia hesitated. “Well, Puck and I didn’t need much space so picking someplace smaller just made more sense. Besides…” She trailed off.

Subaru waited. “Besides?” He prompted.

Emilia sighed. “It’s just… like I said, I thought that it would be disrespectful to move into someone else’s home. After all, I was trying to lift the curse and bring them all back. Moving into one of their houses would have meant admitting that they were gone and that they really weren’t coming back.”

“But, Mili, Fortuna was…” He hesitated.

“Dead? I know that, Subaru,” Emilia whispered. “I mean… I guess I knew that…” She took a deep breath. “No, that’s a lie. Deep down, I always had this dream that when I reversed the curse, Mama Fortuna and Guese would come back too. I know that it’s silly but…” She trailed off.

Subaru gently kissed her cheek. “You loved them very much.”

Emilia nodded.

“Of course you miss them. Of course you dream of having them back. There’s no shame in that, Emilia. And we don’t need to use Fortuna’s house. We can build our own if you’d rather. We have all the time in the world.”

Emilia made a noncommittal sound.

“But personally, I think maybe we should consider taking a look at Fortuna’s house. I never had the chance to meet the woman but I know from what you’ve told me that she loved you very much.”

Emilia didn’t answer.

“I’m just thinking out loud here but if it was our daughter, I think… I think I’d like knowing that the same place I loved my family was where she was loving her own. It’s like… passing the torch to the next generation.”

Emilia sniffled. “Subaru, stop it! You’re going to make me cry again!”

Subaru half chuckled. “Well, whatever we decide to do, we’re not going to be ready to do anything involving leaving the forest for at least a few days so you’ll have some more time to rest and recover.”

Emilia sighed, “I need that, Subaru. I want to be strong but-”

“You’ve been nothing but strong through this entire mess, Mili,” Subaru soothed. “Nobody could have endured this hell any better than you did. We made some mistakes along the way but that doesn’t mean that we’re weak or careless. We’re both exhausted. We will save the spirits but it’s not going to be tonight or tomorrow. We need to recover our strength and come up with a plan.”

Emilia was quiet. “Yes. Everything will look better in the morning, won’t it?”

“We have a ton of problems, Emilia. But you and me have had a hell of a lucky streak for dealing with them. As long as we’re together, we can do anything.”

Emilia took a deep breath and snuggled closer to Subaru. “As long as we’re together.”

“Greetings, gentlemen,” Montefort said, sitting in an easy chair as Willard Pickett and Lord Zyst entered the room that evening.

They were meeting in Montefort’s palatial estate just outside of town. It was a cozy little room with only three very comfortable chairs and a small table in it.

“Good evening, young Lord-” Willard caught himself. “Forgive me, Lord Montefort. Some days I forget that your grandfather has departed us.”

“Gone but not forgotten, Master Pickett. Grandfather spoke highly of you as well,” Montefort said wistfully, glancing up at a large portrait hanging on the wall of an elderly, stern-faced man.

Willard struggled to wedge his enormous bulk into a large easy chair.

Without a word, three young maids brought the men’s drinks to them. These men were regular guests in this household and no one needed to ask what they wished to be served.

Zyst took his seat as well, accepting a drink from the maid. “I always meant to ask you, why did you bring your grandfather’s portrait into the meeting room?”

“I find it soothing. I enjoy the thought that my grandfather watches over me as I continue his valiant quest to bring security to the kingdom,” Montefort answered with a smile. He coughed. “Now gentlemen, if you’ll forgive me for asking, what is the emergency? It’s been years since either of you have asked for an additional monthly meeting and I am really quite curious.”

Zyst opened his mouth to speak but Willard cut him off with a snort. “Anastasia has informed me of some very dire news. This is why I asked for this meeting.”

“Wait,” Zyst said, looking at Willard in confusion. “I asked for this meeting!”

“You both asked for this meeting,” Montefort said with a calm smile. “That was what so convinced me that something dire must be afoot. Perhaps simply to speed things along, Master Pickett might go first.”

Another young maid entered the room carrying a tray of pastries. Her eyes darted around the room looking intimidated by the opulent decor as she set her tray down on a small table between the three men.

Willard sighed. “I have supported Anastasia’s claims to the throne and have been firmly of the opinion that she has the clear head to revitalize our economy and improve our fortunes. However, now I-” Willard trailed off as he glanced down at the tray of pastries set in front of him. Willard fixed a murderous eye on the maid. “What is this?” He hissed.

The young maid flinched back, uncertain of what she had done wrong. Montefort and Zyst also glanced at the tray. They shared a look of tired resignation.

“Is this chocolate?!” Willard demanded.

The young maid swallowed hard. “Yes, sir!” She said in a trembling voice. “Because your eminences’ visit was so unexpected, we baked a new batch of pastries for you just this evening and-”

“I will not tolerate the presence of chocolate! Get it out of my sight!” Willard roared.

The young maid cowered before the enraged merchant, tears streaming down her face.

“Yes,” Montefort said calmly, getting up from his chair, “I think perhaps it would be best to forgo treats for the time being. If you gentlemen will excuse me for a moment?”

Montefort calmly led the crying maid out of the room, the tray in her arms. He quietly closed the door behind him.

The maid was trembling. “Forgive me, Lord Montefort! I didn’t mean-”

“Olivia,” Montefort said kindly, “Master Pickett has a- how shall we say, rather unusual objection to chocolate,” Montefort informed her. “Please offer him what patience that you may, as this is connected with the loss of his precious little sister as a boy. He is well aware that this is irrational behavior on his part but it remains beyond his ability to control. Rest assured that I am in no way angry with you for this. In truth, I feel somewhat responsible for permitting you to be placed in such an unpleasant situation at all. Please accept my humble apologies. There is no way that you could have known about Master Pickett’s predilections and the fault is mine for failing to ensure that you were properly informed. You did well to prepare those delectable treats so promptly for our unexpected guests. If Master Pickett doesn’t want any, all the more for me. I look forward to indulging in them for desert tonight. Please return to your normal duties, Olivia,” Montefort said calmly.

Olivia had stopped crying and looked at her master with blind gratitude. “Thank you, my lord,” Olivia said, dipping into a small curtsy and walking away with her tray.

Montefort walked back into the small room. Neither man was talking in his absence.

Montefort sat back down and steepled his fingers. “I apologized on your behalf, Master Pickett,” He said in a calm voice. “However, I’m quite certain that you will wish to make your own apologies before departing. Isn’t that so?”

Willard murmured something indistinct while looking down at the floor.

“Splendid,” Montefort said. “Now, Master Pickett, what were you saying before we were interrupted?”

Willard sighed. “Anastasia seems to have succumbed to sentimental thinking. She has been seduced by Subaru Natsuki’s promises to empty the slums.”

“Seduced in what way?” Montefort asked.

“She plans to concede the election!”

Zyst looked sharply at Willard.

Willard shook his head. “Apparently, Subaru Natsuki has made her a very generous offer for her support. So generous in fact that I can’t even fault her for accepting it! However, the boy’s politics are unacceptable to say the least.”

“It’s interesting,” Montefort mused. “When the boy first came onto the scene, we barely paid him any attention. Now that he’s slain the Whale and two Archbishops he’s become impossible to ignore. Perhaps we should have had someone trustworthy try to claim his ear sooner.” Montefort paused. “What was the offer, if you don’t mind my asking?”

Willard sighed. “The original offer was for a seat on the royal assembly and exclusive distribution rights to all of his machines.”

Zyst broke in. “His machines are why-”

“Please, Lord Zyst,” Montefort raised a finger. “Let Master Pickett finish. That way we can all devote our full attention to your concerns in turn.”

Zyst sighed and nodded.

Willard continued, “She plans to negotiate into obtaining the chancellorship before accepting. However, Subaru Natsuki plans to empty the slums!”

“So I have heard,” Montefort mused. “I assume that this is unacceptable to you?”

“Can you imagine how high the cost of labor will soar if all of those dust rats are sent out into the country? My constituents in the merchant guilds are going to be crushed!”

“I never imagined that Lady Anastasia would concede the race so soon,” Montefort said.

“It is hard to blame her,” Zyst admitted. “I dare say that the race is over for all intents and purposes. She wishes to sell out while her support still has value.”

“Forgive me, Lord Zyst,” Montefort said. “You have been very patient. What matter brings you here today?”

Zyst took a deep breath. “Priscilla Barielle is also prepared to concede the election.”

Willard gaped at Zyst.

“Truly?” Montefort raised an eyebrow.

Zyst nodded. “She doesn’t believe that there’s any way for her to catch up. She plans to offer Subaru Natsuki her hand in marriage. She claims that Subaru Natsuki has created a new kind of machine that could change the entire world.”

“I have heard similar claims,” Willard broke in. “Anastasia is fascinated by these machines. I am equally impressed by their potential. I think that I could easily make an arrangement with Subaru Natsuki on the basis of these machines if he would just abandon these foolish aspirations of eliminating our low cost labor force.”

“His machines are the entire problem!” Zyst grated. “I am heartily indifferent to whichever fool Priscilla Barielle manages to foist herself off on. However, the intelligence I’ve managed to obtain regarding these machines is extremely concerning to my mages.”

“How so?” Montefort asked.

“His machines run off cheap mana crystals. These crystals can be charged by nearly anyone with magical talent, even if it would take a good deal longer to charge one for a weak hedge wizard compared to a trained Circle Mage. Subaru Natsuki’s machines appear poised to replace a wide variety of tasks that are currently done by enchantments. My colleagues at the Mages’ Circle have spent a great deal of time thinking about the possible applications of this ‘engine’ and we are in agreement that the sky is the limit.”

“Reducing the importance of the Mages’ Circle considerably,” Montefort commiserated.

Zyst nodded. “I am indifferent to Subaru Natsuki becoming king or not. His politics affect me in no way but we must ensure that he makes no more of these damnable machines! My people study for decades to achieve mastery of their art. I will not permit them to be replaced by ignorant hedge wizards who will charge a copper to enchant a magic crystal!”

“Has Lady Crusch spoken?” Willard asked Montefort.

“About leaving the election? Not a word. She appears to loathe Subaru Natsuki quite heartily. I can’t imagine what it would take for her to willingly concede,” Montefort replied.

Willard grunted. “As unacceptable as we all find the notion of Subaru Natsuki on the throne,” Willard mused, “And as grateful as I am that someone is refusing to end the election prematurely, I am compelled to admit that this is a very poor decision on her part. She is letting her emotions guide her actions. In candor, it might behoove her to consider selling out while her assets are still worth something. As Lord Zyst said, it does appear that the election is over.”

“Over for the moment at least,” Montefort said thoughtfully. “Lady Crusch appears to be trying an… unconventional and rather risky strategy to reopen it.”

“What’s that?” Zyst said.

“After Subaru Natsuki went missing during the fall of the Sanctuary, Lady Crusch informed the sages’ council that he is roaming around the wilds with a half-breed witch. Lady Crusch has gone so far as to claim that it is the revived Witch of Envy.”

Willard stared at Montefort in total shock. “Madness!” He shook his head. “Or a desperate, childish slander campaign.”

Montefort shrugged.

Willard turned to Zyst, “Is there any way that the witch could be free?”

Zyst didn’t answer.

Montefort frowned. “Lord Zyst?”

Zyst shook his head. “We… have no evidence that the Witch is free and much evidence that she is not…” He trailed off.

“But?” Montefort prodded.

Zyst shook his head with a sigh. “Ever since the Sanctuary was breached something has… happened to the Witch’s seal and to a variety of other seals that we monitor all throughout the world. It’s almost as if the seals were all… tied together somehow and breaching one compromised them all.”

“Is there any sign that the Witch’s seal is weakening further?!” Willard demanded.

Zyst shook his head. “It does not… appear to be…”

“Reassuring,” Montefort commented. “However, to get back on topic, I myself do not believe Crusch’s actions to be a slander campaign. That would require political guile that Lady Crusch lacks. She believes with all her heart that she is speaking the truth.”

“Then she is mad,” Willard replied.

Montefort shrugged. “We all seem to be rather disappointed with our candidates as of late.”

The other two nodded sagely.

Zyst had a grim expression on his face. “I can’t believe that I’m saying this,” Zyst murmured, “But perhaps Priscilla Barielle’s words contained wisdom for once. If Subaru Natsuki’s coronation is truly inevitable, then I suppose we should consider aligning ourselves with the new regime.”

“Have you completely taken leave of your senses?” Willard demanded.

Zyst shrugged. “Come now, Willard. One puppet dances as well as any other. We offer Subaru Natsuki the throne in exchange for a series of restrictions on his policies.”

“Oh my, what a brilliant negotiator you must believe yourself to be,” Willard said sarcastically. “You seriously intend to approach Subaru Natsuki and say: ‘Because you becoming King has become inevitable, we are willing to permit you to have that prize, which we have no way to deny you in any case. In exchange, we demand that you agree to the following series of concessions, although we have no way to enforce said concessions and we have nothing to offer you in return.’ Is that about right?”

“Subaru Natsuki is becoming too powerful,” Montefort cut in before Zyst could respond. “Worse, he’s becoming politically dangerous. He’s tapping into forces in the kingdom that we have long fought to suppress. His public support is growing by leaps and bounds. We may need to take action.”

“I’m reluctant to lose access to the potential market for his machines,” Willard admitted. “But I can live with that if it results in the resumption of the status quo.”

“Are you suggesting an ‘accident?’” Zyst asked Montefort.

Montefort thought about it. “At the moment all that I’m suggesting is a wait-and-see attitude. Crusch will never concede so the election will go the full two years. We have time to take action later if it proves necessary. If the other two candidates do concede then Crusch can be a reasonable compromise candidate should something happen to Subaru Natsuki.”

“Is it wise to wait?” Willard asked. “Subaru Natsuki may well just keep on claiming more support.”

“Our taking direct action should be a last resort,” Montefort disagreed. “At least for the moment, I have a mind to let Crusch play her hand. At worst, she embarrasses herself. At best, she may provide an opening for herself. Or for us.”